


For You in Full Bloom

by bigwolfpup, TiBun



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: "Bad Boy" Anakin Skywalker, Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Office, Anakin Skywalker Has Issues, Anakin's a grump in the start, Bottom Obi-Wan Kenobi, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Heavy Petting, Lemon, M/M, Reincarnation, Romantic Soulmates, Slice of Life, Slow then Fast Romance, Soft Boy Obi-Wan Kenobi, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Top Anakin Skywalker, Young Ben Kenobi, obikin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2020-04-23 17:21:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 76,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19155577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigwolfpup/pseuds/bigwolfpup, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiBun/pseuds/TiBun
Summary: Brooding artist Anakin Skywalker didn't have much faith in Soulmates after experiencing a bad breakup with the person who he thought was his destined partner in life.Book lover Ben Kenobi has always dreamed of finding his soulmate much like characters in romance novels and fairy tales do.Neither of them expected to be each other's soulmates, especially with how they first met.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: We do not own any recognizable characters, we only explore the possibilities.  
> Note: In this AU Obi-Wan and Anakin are both in their early to mid twenties.

 

* * *

 

Sometimes life could become so mundane that even the most hard-working individuals could lose sight of how important life could be. Living the same routine day in and day out could make the days run together until they started to wonder what the point was.

Life had become just that for Ben Kenobi-Jinn. Truly, he had at one point loved his job. But before long his routine lost all spark of life. Wake up, get ready, go to work, keep books organized, eat, organize more books, go home, eat, read, and go to bed. Such was the life of a Librarian.

So, when his worried father, Qui-Gon Jinn suggested he try a new path in life, he'd reluctantly, yet somehow eagerly left the local library and found himself waking up and headed to work in an office building; JEDI Publishing. It was a job where he could still express his love for the written word as an editor, but wouldn't find his days full of just placing books back on shelves after someone had been reading them.

It was an exciting change for him.

With a smile, he scanned his new employee ID and stepped through the security check before heading to the elevators and pressing the up button.

A few other employees stepped up beside him, waiting for the elevator to come. "You're new," one of them noted while they waited. He was a man with a wide smile and long hair that was tied back into a tail. There was hint of green to his dark hair. "What's your name?"

"Yes, today's my first day. I'm Ben Kenobi and I'll be working as an editor on floor—uh—five, office oh-one." He said, double-checking the notes he'd written down for reference so that he wouldn't embarrass himself by going to the wrong floor or room.

"Oh, I work on that floor as well," the man said. "Name's Kit by the way. If you like looking over other's works to make sure they're good to publish, you'll love it here."

"That's what I'm hoping. I love books, but working in a library just wasn't quite enough. I look forward to helping authors perfect their work. I look forward to working with you, Kit."

The elevator doors opened with a chime and they all stepped inside, pushing the floor buttons they each needed.

"Just follow instructions, take breaks when you earn them, and you'll fit in just fine here. All of us are pretty happy to work here."

"Well, maybe all but one," another employee spoke up, hugging some files to her chest.

"Hmm?" Ben turned to look at her, "Why would they work here if they are unhappy in this line of work?"

"We... Don't know if he's actually happy or not. It's hard to tell..."

"Let's not scare the new guy away just yet," Kit said. "Don't worry, Ben. Lots of people are happy here."

"Why would this person scare me away?"

"Because there's a rumor going around that his soulmate is the Devil himself!" another employee spoke up.

Ben frowned, "That's impossible. You shouldn't spread such silly things around so casually."

"Just wait until you see him," the one with the files spoke up. "You'll see what we mean."

"I'm sure he looks perfectly normal, and you're just trying to freak out the new guy." Ben laughed as the doors opened on the fifth floor and he got out with the few who also needed that floor.

The girl with the files was left in the elevator, but she shook her head as Ben and Kit left, along with others. "At least I warned you," she said before the elevator's doors closed once more.

"Don't mind Barriss, she's always a little on edge after her soulmate stopped talking to her because she blew up her parents' kitchen and blamed it on her." Kit said as he walked towards his cubicle. "The office is right over there, at the other end of the room."

"Thank you very much." Ben bowed his head before moving over and entering the office space he'd be working in. Much like the one Kit had gone to, the room was lined in cubicles, only rather than private cubicles, each person working here shared one.

When he was hired, his boss gave him a choice between any of the empty desks in the office. He had been surprised that there was one free desk left by a window, and he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity for natural light during the work day. So he eagerly requested it, without much thought as to why no one else would have snatched it up.

He took out the diagram he was given showing the layout of the office, his desk being marked with a red 'x' on it. Using it, he moved around the room until he found it, only to halt as he was about to step into the cubicle that lacked the back wall as it was pushed right up against the window.

His desk was there, of course, but covered in used coffee cups and other such rubbish his cubicle mate had carelessly tossed behind him onto the previously unoccupied desk rather than putting it in the bin that was made for unwanted trash.

The person he would be sharing the space with wasn't there yet, and Ben found himself sighing, setting his things down in his chair before clearing the rubbish off his desk and putting it all in the bin on his partner's side. He then used a sanitizing wipe to clean off the desk, just in case, and then finally started setting up his desk the way he liked it and pulling out the little personal touches he'd brought with him to start. Finally, he turned on his computer and waited for the login screen.

It was at least another three hours before the office suddenly went silent, then the muffled sound of loud music playing through headphones started to grow closer to Ben's desk. Heavy footsteps accompanied the music that was no doubt ruining the ears of whoever was listening. Soon a face was matched up with the music and footsteps, and he was very clearly tired and not in the mood for anything unexpected. Which was why he halted at the entrance to the cubicle and stared at the back of Ben's head.

"If I can clearly hear the lyrics being screamed through your headphones, then you have it turned up way too loud." Ben said as he typed up some notes on the first project he had been assigned. Then he turned around in his swivel chair to look up at the person, ready to introduce himself and extend his hand—but he froze before he could.

The newcomer had a coffee in one hand and his phone in the other, headphones connected to it and still blasting his music. He was handsome, tall with dark blond curls and skin kissed a lovely brown by the sun, and two piercings—Ben vaguely thought he'd heard them being called 'snake bites'—were under his lower lip. The man narrowed his blue eyes, then looked in the trash can at all his old coffee cups. He didn't say a word, but he moved to his desk and sat down finally, not looking back at Ben.

Ben blinked and shook himself from his shocked stupor and tapped the man on his shoulder and fixed a smile on his face, waiting for him to turn around so he could introduce himself properly.

The man tensed up briefly before turning around as he shifted the headphones off his ears to hang around his neck and showing that his ears were also lined with a piercings. The action made the music a little louder for those not using the headphones. He gave Ben a weird look, waiting for the redhead to say what he wanted to say.

Ben faltered for only a second, "Hello there, I'm Ben Kenobi. It's nice to meet you." He said, holding out his hand.

For a little bit, the man didn't say anything, only looked at Ben's hand. Finally he looked back up and nodded his head before turning back to his computer and starting it up.

"Do you have a name or should I start calling you Grumpy?"

All Ben got for a response was a shrug.

"Cat got your tongue? Or maybe I should try using sign language?" he said, signing along with what he spoke out loud.

The man shook his head, then took a drink of his coffee. He turned back around, looking very relaxed in his office chair though his face said otherwise.

"Goodness you're rude…now I know why there was a window desk open still…" Ben huffed, turning back to his own work and reaching over to grab his mug—which was empty and still as clean as it had been when he walked in. Sighing, he pushed himself up, pausing to look at the man once again. "Will you at least tell me where the break room is?"

Instead of actually saying anything, the man got up and started walking away, though he gestured his head for Ben to follow. He didn't stop until they were at the break room, and he grabbed a leftover donut from the table.

"Thank you." Suppressing his annoyance at the man, Ben moved over to look over the selection, finding that there were some teabags available. He much preferred tea over coffee, so he set to making himself a cup using the water kept hot in an electric kettle, and refilling it when it felt low after he was finished filling his mug. Then he put the teabag into the water and grabbed a spoon and napkin.

The man had finished his donut and proceeded to watch Ben go about making tea. Nothing was preventing him from leaving, but the least he could do after showing Ben where the break room was to show him the way back.

Once Ben finished doctoring up his tea the way he liked, he picked it up and turned to go back to his desk and blinked in surprise to see the man there watching him with a stare so intense that it actually made him feel nervous. Had the man waited for him? It made him all the more perplexing if he had.

When he saw that Ben was finished, the man turned around and headed back to their cubicle. Not once did he say a word, it was almost like he didn't know how to talk. But he still grunted and made other such noises to show that he could indeed make some sound.

With a sigh, he followed, careful not to spill any of his tea until he finally was able to set it down on his desk and he sat back down.

The man sat at his own desk and put his headphones back on, metal music starting to play once more, though at a softer volume than before.

"Looks like you're Anakin's new cubicle partner," A voice said from above the cubicle wall close to Ben's desk. "Brave choice, you made."

"I like the light and view the windows provide. I hadn't known anything about who my cubicle partner would be. The man—Anakin was it?—never even offered a name when I started introductions." Ben sighed, looking up at the person who spoke, "I'm Ben, by the way."

"Adi." She smiled and held out her hand to Ben over the wall. "Don't worry, Anakin usually keeps to himself. We stay out of his way and he'll stay out of ours. Kinda goes with the whole artist vibe. He's the department's artist and graphic designer."

"I see." Ben glanced back at the man he now had a name for, watching his head bop slightly to the beat of the music, a stylist in hand as he worked on designing whatever his current project was. "Brooding artist or not, it's common courtesy to offer up an introduction to someone who will be sharing your work space. But I suppose he is the individual I was warned about in the elevator."

"Yeah, probably. Nobody really knows him too well. It's a shame, considering his work is beautiful. He's got a full arm of tattoos, all designed by him."

"I'd be more impressed if he could draw himself some manners." Ben stated with a teasing tone to his voice.

Adi chuckled. "Yeah, you kinda learn to ignore him after a while."

"But that's it right? He's just quiet and rude? He hasn't done anything to cause real worry?"

"Well… we're not sure. All we know is that he works and listens to his metal music, and some days he comes in looking especially rough, almost like he was up all night doing… something." Adi shrugged, glancing at Anakin. "He's just as much a mystery to us as he is to you."

"Don't forget, Adi, he has a temper and sometimes hits his desk or throws things." Someone else a few cubicles away said.

"That's not often though." Said Adi's cubicle partner, "But still, I'd suggest you avoid him when you can. We all do."

Ben sighed and glanced back at Anakin, "Too bad…I had hoped I'd become friends with whomever my cubicle partner was…"

"Sorry, that will never happen," a new voice said, its source a man around the same age as Ben with dark skin, eyes, and hair in dreadlocks, though tied back to look more professional. "Anakin doesn't like anyone here. It's impossible to become friends with him."

"It must be lonely to choose to work like that…"

"That's how he works, so we let him work. No need to get someone stabbed or anything."

"I see," Ben ran his fingers through his feathered locks as he took pause, "then I suppose I'll try not to bother him further."

"Please. I don't want him to snap on us. I'd like to live another day."

Adi rolled her eyes. "He's not some mass murderer, Quinlan."

"How do you know?" Quinlan asked. "He could have all our deaths planned already."

"How about we talk this all over on our lunch break if you are all able? We should get back to work, and I hope to impress the boss on my first draft editing project." Ben suggested.

"Yeah, don't scare the new guy off," one of the employees called out as everyone returned to their cubicles.

Ben chuckled, settling back into his seat and getting back to his work as the others did the same.

* * *

The day went by fairly quickly, and Anakin even left early. He probably had short shifts, but it was odd to see him arrive late and leave early. Once he was gone, however, Kit came over to the cubicle and tapped on the top of the wall.

"Hey, you got plans after work?" he asked Ben with a smile.

Looking up, Ben smiled, "Nothing solid. I was going to stop by my dad's flower shop to let him know how my first day went, but if I miss him there, he'll likely still be up waiting for me at home. Why?"

"Just wanted to know if you were interested in going out to dinner with me and a few other coworkers."

"Sounds great, actually. I can get to know people outside the professional setting."

"Great! I'll let everyone know. And don't worry about paying, we'll cover your meal tonight."

"Oh—You don't have to…" Ben said, his cheeks slightly pink as he fiddled with a pen.

"Nonsense, let us treat the new guy! Besides, you have to put up with Anakin now. He was well behaved today, actually."

"Alright, thank you for treating me to dinner, then. Are we all going to meet at the restaurant, or do we meet here and go together?"

"We'll all meet there, so people can just go home afterwards."

"Alright, where are we going?"

"Dex's. Have you been there before?"

Ben grinned, "I'm friends with the owner, actually."

Kit smiled wider. "Even better! We'll have a great time, I know it."

"I look forward to it." Ben nodded.

The last hour of work went by quickly, and Ben tidied up his desk and shutdown his computer before slipping his suit jacket back on and making sure he had everything he needed before leaving, taking a Lyft to Dex's Diner and walking in, looking around for any familiar faces from the office.

It wasn't long before Kit was waving Ben down over to a round table surrounded by coworkers. Some had already been introduced to Ben, but there were still a few new faces to be introduced to.

Ben greeted each person with a handshake before he sat down in his seat, ordering a soft drink when the waitress came by their table.

"So do you all do this often after work?" he asked.

"We tend to do this on payday," Adi said. "Though there are special occasions of course that we go out for. Like today, because we got a new coworker, and also birthdays."

"I look forward to joining you when I can." Ben smiled.

"Here we can complain about work and not get in trouble for it, and other things of course. Like how we think the brooding artist is secretly a vampire mass murderer," A younger looking coworker spoke up.

"Come now, if Anakin was a vampire, then why would he have a window desk and not one tucked back in the darkest corner in the whole office space?" Ben smirked. "Besides, I spent all day in the cubicle with him and never once did he make a move for my neck."

"He's just waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Watch your back at all times." She smiled as she took a sip of her drink.

"Hmm, but what if I like my neck being ravished?" Ben joked dryly.

The table was quickly filled with laughter. "Then I guess Anakin is the perfect cubicle partner for you," Kit said.

"Seriously though, he just seems a bit rude and clearly has a wish to go deaf with how loud he blasts that music into his ears. I think I may invest in my own headphones so I can listen to music of my own taste and not have to her his so clearly…or maybe I can swap out his playlist for something more classical."

"Oh I wouldn't try that. An old intern tried to change his music, she ended up leaving the next day. He's not vey kind to people who try to change things he likes."

"She left? What did he do to her?"

"Well... We think he confronted her while no one else was looking, and that scared her enough to leave and never come back."

"So no one knows…" Ben sighed, "I just wish the situation with him wasn't so unknown. I'd feel better if I knew what to expect."

"I think we all would," Adi said. "The less we know about him, the more mysterious he becomes. I don't think even our boss knows much about him."

"Boss could have warned you when you chose your desk."

"Maybe, but I think I'll be fine." Ben said as his drink was brought to him and they were all asked for their food orders.

"If you're willing to take on the challenge of being Anakin's cubicle partner, more power to you,"

"More like I don't want to give up the nice window view." Ben laughed, "If that Anakin has an issue with it, maybe I'll find a way to scare him off."

"I don't think anything can scare him," the young coworker spoke up. "He doesn't scare very easily, he hates being around people, so we all just let him take breaks by himself. His are usually on different times anyways because he has weird work hours."

"I did notice that he got in late and left early." Ben said, "And you can get creative with what may scare people. After all, maybe flowers make him sneeze so if I had a vase of them on my desk…"

"If there was anything that scared him, it would be forcing him to work later."

"I don't have the power to do that. I'm just the new guy."

"None of us have that power," Kit said. "But if we suggested it to our boss, I don't think even he would do it. Sort of funny how all of us have this irrational fear of a coworker."

"I would hope that he's kept around for his talent and not for him—blackmailing the boss into keeping him employed or something." Ben sighed.

"There's nothing going on that we've all seen. His talent is amazing. On the rare occasion he has his sleeves rolled up; you should sneak in a glance at his tattoos."

"I'd love to get a design from him, but the guy is literally impossible to talk to," Quinlan, the coworker with the dreads, spoke up before tipping back a shot. "He's either got his headphones in or is giving everyone a death stare who happens to walk past him."

"Want me to ask him if he does tattoo design commissions?" Ben asked, "I can't guarantee he won't ignore me, but if anyone is going to get the chance to ask, I think it'd be me as his cubicle mate."

"You'd be the best man here if you can do that," Quinlan replied with a smirk. "Try if you can."

"If I get the chance to, I'll mention it to him. No promises though. And if he seems irritated I'll be aborting the mission."

"You're a bro, Ben."

"Ok, let's not bombard the new guy with things to do concerning Anakin. Just because he's Anakin's new cubicle partner doesn't mean he's invincible." Kit raised his drink to Ben with a smile. "In the meantime, a toast to the new guy, who is taking on the challenge of working close to the scariest coworker we've ever had."

Ben chuckled, sipping his own drink moments before the waitress returned again with a tray full of food, and a few other waiters following her with more for the larger party.

* * *

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

After eating and gossiping with his new co-workers about things that were not named Anakin, Ben poked his head in the kitchens to greet his friend Dex briefly before getting another Lyft to drive him across town to where he had a small apartment above a modest little flower shop. Instead of heading straight up to the second floor where the small apartment was, he slipped into the shop as the lights were still on.

"Dad?" he called out, moving around displays of flowers.

"In the back room," a voice replied, sounding distant yet cheery.

Ben moved to the back, leaning in the doorway as he spotted his overly tall father with long, graying brown hair. "How was the shop today? Busy?"

"Not any more busy than usual, but people were asking where you were." The man turned around and smiled at his son.

"Am I really that popular? I don't even work here often. Just when I have time off and you need the help."

"Well, you know Jocasta is a regular in here, and she always asks how you're doing."

"She also would miss me after I left the Library." Ben nodded, "So yeah, that makes sense. What did you tell people when they asked about me? The truth or did you play games?"

"The truth of course. I always tell everyone the truth." Qui-Gon smiled and went back to watering flowers.

"Liar." Ben chuckled, "Need help with anything?"

"There are some flowers that need replanted if you're up for that after your first day at work."

"Sure." Ben said, setting down his keys and taking off his jacket to hang it over the back of a chair, then he began to roll up his sleeves, his diamond-shaped soulmark shown in a gentle brown on the inside of his wrist. It was a simple mark, faded against the skin like a birth mark as he had yet to find his match—if he ever did. Once he did find them, whomever they were, then his mark would burst with color. He often looked at the diamond with a vaguely sword-shaped cutout in the center and wondered what color was hidden within it—what color would match the soul of his destined.

But he paid it no mind as he pulled over the bag of dirt and a spade so that he could transplant a few of the flowers that needed it.

"So how was your first day?" Qui-Gon asked his son. "Anything exciting happen?"

"Today went well. I went to Dex's after work with some coworkers. Everyone seems nice, although…"

"Although? Interesting coworkers, I assume?"

"The man I share a cubicle with is very rude. I came in to find a mess of trash on my desk from him, and when he showed up and I introduced myself he just ignored me. Didn't say a single word all day. All my coworkers have warned me about him in some shape or form…"

"Sounds like a boring man. I wonder why the company keeps him if he acts the way you say he does."

"I assume he's good at his job." Ben shrugged as he pressed the loose dirt down around the base of a plant and then moved on to the next one.

"That's got to be the only reason why he's still around then. What does he do?"

"Illustrations and cover art, mostly. I think. He may do more, but I know he does artwork for the books we publish."

"An artist? Well, not to be stereotypical, but he does certainly sound like an artist, at least one of those who doesn't take criticism very well."

"He doesn't take interaction very well. I offered him my name and he looked at me as if I was dirt."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "If I were you, I'd request to change desks."

"It's a window seat, Dad, I'm not giving that up."

The older man chuckled. "Stubborn enough to tough it out just because you have a window seat. You are definitely my child."

"And now that I've seen my space I have been planning better ways to personalize it. I'm thinking a potted plant will do well to bring some color in."

"I think that's a great idea. Maybe a plant will help your cubicle partner lighten up a bit."

"It'd be a miracle if so. Maybe I'll also try bribing him into a good mood with some baked goods or something."

"You always did make a mean brownie. I bet he'd like a sweet or two."

"I think I'll bake a big batch for the office before bed." Ben decided, "And I'll make sure to offer one to Anakin."

"A great idea, Obi." Qui-Gon smiled as he finished up watering.

"I just really want to get along with him. I enjoy my new job and don't want to see it ruined by one gloomy coworker."

"One gloomy person hasn't gotten you down ever before. I think you'll learn to work with him in the background."

"Normally I can stay far away from gloomy people." Ben pointed out as he finished another transplanting and looked at the group he'd done as he brushed off his hands, "Anyway, if I'm going to bake my infamous brownies, then I had better get cleaned up and get started so I can still get to bed at a proper time."

"Go ahead, I'll finish up and join you when I'm done."

"You just want to be able to steal a few brownies." Ben accused.

"You didn't think I'd pass up the opportunity for free brownies, did you?" Qui-Gon chuckled.

"You may have one brownie—and no, you can't cut it yourself to make it huge." Ben said, gathering his things.

"Oh, fine. They better be the best brownies you've made then."

"They always are. Oh, but no nuts as there may be someone with an allergy. So don't expect nuts." Ben said before disappearing and going up to their apartment. Once there, he grabbed a quick shower and into some soft pajamas before slipping on his baking apron and gathering everything he needed, his cat rubbing around his ankles as he mixed the batter.

Qui-Gon was soon in the kitchen to wash his hands while he waited for brownies. "Need any help from me?"

"You can give Basil some attention and love so I don't trip over her." Ben said, nodding down at his Birman. "Normally we cuddle when I get home, but I can't cuddle her while baking and it's clearly making her grumpy."

"Okay, come here, kitty." Qui-Gon picked up the cat and started petting her while watching his son.

"Thank you." Ben smiled, pouring the batter into the first pan.

"Did you give her any food when you got home?"

"I had Lumi swing by and feed her at the usual time this afternoon." Ben said, pouring the second pan.

"So don't feed her, got it. Your meows won't trick me this time," Qui-Gon said to the cat, which responded with a tiny mew.

"Yes, she's quite the actress and is totally lying if she is saying she's starving." He chuckled, glancing over at his father who was holding his dramatic cat.

"Isn't that all cats though?"

"In my experience, yes." Ben opened the oven and slipped the pans inside before setting an alarm and beginning his clean-up.

"Good thing we only have one then. I don't think I could survive being bombarded by several cats wanting to be overfed."

"But they are such lovable handfuls."

"They demand food all the time and sometimes I give in," Qui-Gon said with a smile. "But I suppose... If we wanted to get another, I wouldn't be opposed."

"You'd be letting me walk a dangerous road there. I'll be sure to turn into an old crazy cat guy." Ben chuckled.

"Pretty sure you're turning me into one already."

Grinning, Ben placed the clean dishes on the drying rack and toweled off his hands before moving over to scratch Basil's ears, making her purr. "Even though this one seems to love killing your houseplants?"

"Eh, I still like her enough to keep her around. I can just get new plants to replace the ones she's destroyed."

"How will you ever cope if I ever get my own place and take my cat with me?"

"I'd go get one of my own then. I'm so used to having a cat around now that not having one will drive me crazy."

"Then I have officially infected you with the catlover's virus. My work here is done!" Ben laughed.

Qui-Gon laughed and reached over to fluff up Ben's hair. "I'm gonna miss you if you move out."

"Well, I'll have to leave the nest eventually." He pointed out, "But don't worry, I'll come back to visit often."

"You better. I'd still get lonely even with a cat around. "

"Maybe you should try dating again." Ben suggested, climbing onto the couch, feet up and grabbing a decorative pillow to hug to his chest. "I know Mom was your soulmate, and I know they say it's hard to find another love after knowing and losing a soulmate, but it's not impossible."

"You know I've had trouble dating since your mother died. I just can't find the right person after her." Qui-Gon sighed and set the cat down on the floor. "But I suppose trying again won't hurt anything."

"It doesn't have to be serious. Lots of people like to just date casually. You could find it nice, and find a nice companion to spend time with when I'm not around to bother you."

"You never bother me when you're around. But for your sake I will try again."

"We have family photos that suggest otherwise." Ben smirked, petting Basil when she hopped up beside him.

"You were a wild child," Qui-Gon countered.

"I just liked to reenact scenes from my favorite books and movies." He shrugged, "And I only accidently stabbed you with my wooden sword once. The bruise went away eventually!"

"That bruise was around for a whole week," Qui-Gon said with a chuckle.

"But Mom spoiled you for that week, and I made you that silly get well/I'm sorry card."

"Yes that week was quite nice to be honest. I don't think I had ever seen you that upset."

"I felt so guilty I hurt my daddy." Ben chuckled, "I was still at the age where you were a super hero, and so I felt like a super villain for hurting you. I thought I turned evil and I was very upset I couldn't be a good guy."

"Well, you have always been a good guy, no matter how many times you've accidentally hurt me."

"Try telling that to five year old me."

"I know. But once I showed you I was healed up, you were back to your happy self."

"I was glad to not have to punish myself with refusing dessert every night. Bad guys don't get desserts." Ben laughed.

The older man chuckled. "Your mother always did make the best desserts. I'm glad you took up that skill from her."

"It was fun, her teaching me how to cook and bake…and giving me all her secret family recipes. Including these brownies."

"Which are the best brownies in the universe."

"I have to agree." Ben stood up, moving Basil off him so he could go check on the baking process and get out the cooling rack, "I do hope they work their magic and soften up my cubicle partner to me where he can at least say hello when he arrives."

 

* * *

 

The next morning Ben made sure all the brownies he had made the night before were all in a nice tin and not his father's stomach before bidding his cat goodbye and leaving, taking an Lyft to work again. Once at the office, he left the tin in the break room with a note letting his coworkers know that they could help themselves. Then he took a few on a napkin along with some freshly brewed tea back to his cubicle.

He placed the brownies carefully on Anakin's desk and then sat down with his tea to get started on work as he waited.

Like clockwork a few hours later, Anakin came to work and sat down at his desk, the muffled sound of heavy metal music once again filling the space. For a moment, the younger man seemed to not have seen the brownies, then there was a pause in the music.

Ben bit down on his lower lip, waiting to see if Anakin would say something, though he didn't turn from his computer screen.

Anakin picked up a brownie and took a bite, and though his face couldn't be seen by anyone, his eyes widened at the sweet taste. He looked briefly back at Ben, mouth full of brownie before he turned back to his computer and brought up the art program he used to draw with.

After the moment of silence, Ben's shoulders slumped. Nothing. Maybe Anakin didn't like sweets?

At least he had tried, and if Anakin didn't toss the brownies, he could always take them back after the blond left work again.

"Trying to impress him by giving him sweets?" Kit asked as he walked by with an armful of papers, stopping only briefly to talk.

"A peace offering in hopes that we'll get along in our shared space." Ben corrected.

"Well, he hasn't disturbed your work too much has he? He tends to stay in his own workspace when he has to share with someone else."

"Not yet, no. But I really would like to just know we can get along, if we can't be friends."

"Don't worry, I think you'll get along fine. Besides, you've only been working in the same space for two days. Give it a bit."

"You heard what I was told yesterday." He shrugged, glancing back at Anakin, "I want to enjoy my job."

"I'm sure you will, even if Anakin continues to be a pain in the butt. You seem like you can take his stubbornness better than the last girl."

"Stubbornness is one thing I'm not worried about."

"That's good." Kit smiled. "Anyways, I better go. The main office needed these papers ten minutes ago."

Ben nodded "Maybe I'll see you on break." He smiled before sipping his tea that had started going far too cold for his taste. He grimaced and set it down, shoving it away.

After about an hour, a notification popped up on Ben's computer screen. It's was a simple email, addressed from who had to be Anakin.

Raising an eyebrow, Ben clicked on the notification to open it.

There was no message, only a picture attached. It was a drawn picture of a lovely bunch of wildflowers with a ribbon running through them. Lettering over top of the flowers ready simply "Thanks".

Blinking, Ben smiled and glanced back at Anakin before saving the drawing and returned to his work, feeling much better about the space between him and Anakin.

As the work day drew to a close, Anakin remained at his desk working, even when most of the workers had already gone home for the day. His brownies were already gone, most of the crumbs still lying on his desk and the crumpled up napkin tossed to the side. Clearly he didn't care much about the cleanliness of his workspace.

Ben sighed, turning off his computer and stretching before standing. At the sight of Anakin still sitting at his desk, he became surprised. He hadn't even heard the beat to the music Anakin listened to.

"Late work day?"

Anakin nodded as he sat back in his chair. Moving back, he revealed a plastic container that had most likely held his lunch and dinner. It was empty now and had a fork resting in it.

"The drawing you sent me…it's very nice. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Anakin replied simply, proving that he could talk.

"So you can speak." Ben smiled.

Anakin nodded. Clearly a man of few words.

"You should try communicating with words more often. Then maybe our coworkers won't be so scared of you." He chuckled before deciding to try proper introductions again, "I'm Ben, it's nice to meet you."

"Anakin," the other stated.

"Don't be shy about saying hello when you come in, Anakin. I don't bite."

"If there's no need to say anything, I won't talk." Anakin shrugged before going back to his work.

"Are you just shy, then?"

Anakin shook his head. "I like simplicity."

"I see…but doesn't it get lonely without anyone to talk to every day?"

"I've been alone for almost five years now. I can handle not talking to anyone," Anakin said with a grunt.

"Being used to something doesn't mean you have to like it. I'd like to be friends if you're willing."

Anakin sighed and put down his stylus pen, finally looking up at Ben, their eyes locking in an intense stare off. "I like being alone, and I don't need any friends."

Ben's smile fell and his shoulders slumped, "Oh…okay…I guess I'll stop bothering you, then. Apologies." He swallowed and turned to start gathering his things to leave.

Anakin sighed as he turned back to his work. "At least the brownies were good," he said to himself while scooting his chair in.

"My mother's recipe." Ben muttered, picking up his mug to take to be cleaned.

Anakin nodded, but he was clearly done speaking, as he was putting his headphones back in to blast his music that matched his clothing style and personality all too well.

Sighing, Ben left, taking his mug to the break room and cleaning it before deciding to just walk home that day.

 

* * *

 

It was nearly dark by the time Anakin left the office that day. His music blaring in his headphones, he walked the sidewalks of the city, finding himself at a small café on a street corner. Next to it were a few food carts tucked away into the brick walls and sheltered from any weather other than clear skies. He walked into the cafe and sat down at a table in a dark corner. Hardly anyone ever sat there, so he had claimed it as his spot. Even the table was marked with permanent marker designs ranging from cars to flowers.

"Worked late?" a soft voice asked him as a hand placed a nice steaming mug on the table for him.

"Yeah, I got multiple covers come in today," Anakin responded while relaxing in his chair and pulling out a marker to start drawing on the table.

The woman made a face at him, "Ani, you know I don't like your artwork on my tables."

"It gives the table character," Anakin countered while picking up the mug she had given him and took a sip of the coffee.

"If you weren't my son, you'd be banned from this shop." She sighed, slipping into the seat across from him as there were no other customers and it was close to closing time so she had already cleaned.

"Do you really hate my drawings that much, Mom?"

"I love your drawings. Just not on my tables." She said, tapping her finger on the table they sat at.

"No one ever sits here, so I don't see the big deal." Anakin shrugged, but he put away the marker, keeping his ideas in his head another day.

"Not true. Just earlier two people were sitting here as all the other tables were full."

"Weird... Literally no one sits here."

"So, tell me about your day." His mother, Shmi, encouraged, "Yesterday you mentioned a new employee turned up as your cubicle partner."

"Yeah, he's a persistent guy. He brought me brownies this morning though." Anakin shrugged.

"Oh dear, he'll be capturing your heart if he keeps that up." She teased him.

"Mom..." The blond sighed and sipped his coffee again. "Just because I'm bi doesn't mean I'm attracted to every guy I see."

"Of course, but I know you, and I know you are one of those kind of guys where the fastest way to your heart is through the stomach. I blame myself for instilling the love or good, homemade food in you from the beginning."

"Food is not the only way to my heart you know. Besides, I'm not interested in looking for anyone. Haven't been since Padmé."

"I know that relationship ended badly for you, Ani, but she wasn't your soulmate, and she isn't every fish in the sea. Don't let one bad bean spoil the brew." She said, reaching over to squeeze his hand, "….Ignore my mix-and-match analogy there."

"You're right, my soulmate is still out there, but who knows where they might be? I might never see them." Anakin sighed.

"That is always a possibility, yes, but you don't know if they are staring you in the face if you aren't even open to letting anyone in close."

"Well, I'm not willing to let anyone in right now. I'm more focused on my job than relationships right now."

"I just want to see you happy again." She sighed, "Even if it's just you making a friend at work."

"Well... maybe I need to change jobs then, because this guy just never gives up. I bet he'll be bringing me cookies tomorrow."

"Would it be so horrible to make a friend? He seems nice."

Anakin rolled his head back with a sigh. "Fine, I'll try, but I'm not going to be willing if he's not."

"Seems he is if he's already tried to extend an olive branch made of brownies."

"He made enough for the entire office and put them in the break room."

"That was an olive branch to everyone at work, dear, including you."

"Yeah, so why did he have to single me out with the personal plate of brownies?" Shaking his head, Anakin tapped his fingers on the table, his hands itching to draw on it.

"Maybe because you come off as a grump and refused to even introduce yourself yesterday. I'm sure everyone else he met were polite."

"I had deadlines yesterday. I didn't have time to greet the new guy."

"It takes only a few seconds to smile and give your name."

"A few seconds that I can use to work instead so I don't miss a deadline."

"Oh come on, Ani. It takes longer than that to wait for your computer to turn on." Shmi said, unconvinced.

"Mom, I really could care less about the new guy. So he's nice to me now. He's new; he'll show his true colors eventually."

"And what if these are his true colors? What colors are you afraid he may show? Honestly, you're so lonely…"

"No I'm not. I'm happy to live the rest of my life without my soulmate."

"Is that…because of what your father did?" she asked, dropping her voice to a sad whisper despite them being the only ones in the small café.

Anakin sighed, sitting back in his chair. "I just don't want to be heart broken, Mom..."

"Look, I'm not pushing you to date, just…you need friends. Someone in your life other than your mother."

"Maybe one day, but for now... I don't want anyone else in my life." Unable to resist the urge any longer, Anakin took out the permanent marker once more and started drawing beautiful curls on the wood.

Shmi sighed and shook her head, standing up, "Well, this Saturday you'll have to entertain yourself, then. I've a date."

"You're dating again?"

Shmi blushed lightly, "The man I mentioned earlier who sat at this table with his son. He asked and, well, he is rather handsome so I accepted."

Anakin managed to crack a smile. "You think there's a spark between you two?"

"A mutual attraction, certainly. We'll have to wait and see about the spark. He obviously isn't my soulmate, so a spark isn't guaranteed."

The blond shrugged. "You never know. There is such a thing as having two soulmates. It's rare, but it can happen."

"Very rare." She hesitated, "But you are okay with the idea of me trying to date again, right?"

"Yeah, of course. I want you to be happy again, and not just pretend to be around me."

"You're approval has a lot to do with my happiness in a dating situation." She smiled.

"Happy to help. Find a special guy, and I'll be a lot happier too."

She smiled and ran a hand through his curls before checking the time and locking the door as it was closing time. Then she moved to count and reset the till for the evening.

* * *

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Ben sat in his favorite chair, legs pulled up into it and covered by a grey blanket that almost perfectly matched his sweater vest, his cat sleeping by his side, a book propped up against his knees, and a pair of glasses on his nose.

Next to him in a separate chair, Qui-Gon sat looking through a gardener magazine reading an article on the language of flowers. His own pair of glasses sat on the bridge of his nose as his read. "I think I might give her some daisies, or carnations," he said after a bit.

"What color carnation? Very important detail, the color." Ben asked, not taking his eyes off his book.

"Perhaps a simple white Carnation. Don't want to say too much on our first date."

"Good idea. They also have the same meaning as daisies, so either way you choose."

"They are good picks... But maybe I should go with something more colorful. Like a yellow rose or some blue chrysanthemums."

"Of those two I think the chrysanthemums would be best. After all, yellow roses suggest friendship and you did ask her on a date which hints at a little more than friendship."

"Hmm..." Qui-Gon rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "Then I think I'll go with the chrysanthemums."

"I still can't believe you actually asked her out like that." Ben laughed, finally looking up from his book. "You were nervous about going out with anyone and then suddenly you had a date."

"Well she did catch my eye. And besides, she looked like she needed some fun. Poor girl looked half worked to death." Qui-Gon smiled as he closed his magazine.

"Well, I hope you both enjoy your date. Should I wait up for you?"

"Only if you want to. I won't force you to."

"Maybe I will. I'd like to know how it goes."

"You think it'll go well?"

"Depends on how well you two click." Ben shrugged.

"You did see us talk in the cafe. Is that enough to go by, or do we just need to wait until after the date?"

"We'll see how the date goes."

Qui-Gon sighed. "Hopefully all goes well. I sure would hate for things to turn sour with her."

"Just be yourself, dad. You want her to like you for you, not for someone you pretend to be." Ben grinned, "That's what you told me when I reached the age where I was starting to get interested in the idea of dating."

"Yes I guess I should learn to take my own advice." Qui-Gon chuckled.

"You should. It's good advice."

The older man nodded. "So, now that I have flowers picked out, I just need an outfit. Care to help me with that as well?"

"Don't want to break out the worn out poncho right away?" his son teased.

"She at least deserves to see me cleaned up and in nicer clothes than a t-shirt and tattered jeans.

Ben nodded and rubbed his chin in thought, "Problem is most of your clothes are old and have holes or stains on them anymore. Unless you have some nice clothes tucked away somewhere."

"I honestly couldn't tell you. Sounds like we need to look through my closet."

"No skeletons in there, I hope." Ben said, bookmarking his place and setting his book aside before getting up.

Qui-Gon chuckled. "No, no skeletons there. Though maybe some moths…"

"That's even worse!"  Ben laughed.

"Maybe we should just go to the store then and get me a new outfit."

"Are any shops even open right now?" Ben asked, glancing down at his watch.

"Maybe not…Oh, I shouldn't have suggested a date when even I wasn't prepared for it."

"Oh come on, if you start thinking that way, you would never ask anyone on a date ever." Ben said, fishing out his phone and looking up closing times for stores. "…Looks like the mall is open for another two hours, if we hurry."

"Then we should go quickly. Let me change real quick so I'm more suitable to go out into public." The older man got up quickly and hurried off to his bedroom.

"Wash the dirt off your nose, too!" Ben called out as he made sure he had his wallet and found the keys to his father's flower delivery van. It was the only vehicle they had, so it did double as their personal van when it wasn't being used for Qui-Gon's business.

Soon Qui-Gon came out clean and changed, ready to head out of their home in search of a new outfit. "Alright, let's go. Maybe there's some deals we can catch as well."

"You drive." Ben said, tossing the keys to his father as he opened the door to their apartment and stepped out onto the platform at the top of the stairs down.

"You got it. I'll try not to speed this time."

"I'd appreciate it. Oh! Since we are going to the mall we can get those giant pretzels with cheese sauce we used to get all the time. I haven't had one in years!"

 "I think that's a fantastic idea, though my stomach might not think so." Qui-Gon shrugged as he climbed into the van and started it up.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Ben buckled up, "Need directions or are you good?"

"No, I can find my way there. We've traveled to the mall many times, I've got the route memorized by now."

"Just making sure. Last time we went to the mall together I was a teenager."

"Has it been that long? Surely we've gone at least once or twice since then."

"Nope. When the bookstore closed I lost interest in going to the mall."

"Well, sounds like they need to get a book store back so you and I can go together more often."

"It would be nice if they did get a new bookstore in there." Ben agreed, "A nice locally owned one, not one of those huge chains that have started selling more overpriced puzzles and games than actual books."

Qui-Gon shrugged. "I think any sort of book store would do, but a locally owned one would probably be best for the city."

"I also like to shop local whenever possible. Support our community more than millionaires who have never even set foot here."

"I agree. However, you've got me a bit confused with that office job you took, considering you like to put your money and work into the local community, not into corporate."

"It's a local publication." Ben shrugged, "Larger, yes, but locally owned and run. They don't have branches all over, rather writers from all over come here to our town in hopes of being published. The owner, Mister Mace, is a self-made man who grew up here."

"I see, so it's basically a local business anyways. No wonder you willingly went to it."

"Exactly. Plus everyone there is so nice—well, most everyone."

Qui-Gon chuckled. "Yes, there is that one pesky young man who just can't get used to you. At least he liked the brownies, right?"

"Yes, and he sent me a sweet thank you drawing for them but then…after I was done working and packing up to leave I tried talking with him again and he…well, it's clear things won't change."

"He doesn't like to talk it sounds like. Maybe make him more food. That saying is that food is a way to a man's heart."

"He was pretty clear about not wanting friends—or maybe it's just me. Baking more may only just annoy him and turn him sour."

"You never know. Food typically makes anyone happy."

"I just feel rejected by him, and I don't want to cause waves."

"You've known him for two days, Ben. Give it another shot, and this time don't say anything, just give him food and maybe a small note saying you hope he enjoys it."

"I don't know…" Ben glanced forward and pointed, "A parking space is opening up."

"Thanks." Turning into the parking spot, Qui-Gon sighed. "Honestly, if you just try again, like start over, I think things will go better with him."

"Or he'll think I'm desperate."

"So wait a day or two, then try again."

"I don't know dad," Ben said, unbuckling and opening the van door, "It would be nice to be friendly with him as we work in the same space, but maybe it's best to just keep my distance. I'm getting to know other coworkers much easier."

"Maybe he's a project to work on." Qui-Gon got out and locked the van, heading towards the mall entrance.

"He's a person, not a project."

"Yes, but he's a friendship project, if you're really wanting to be his friend."

"Not everyone is going to like me. I'll be nice, but I doubt he'll ever open up to me."

The older man shrugged. "You never know. You may learn something about him you never thought he'd share with you."

"I doubt it. He'd have to turn down his music to even think about chatting randomly."

"Sounds like he'll only talk if something interesting enough catches his attention. It also sounds like your baking caught his attention long enough for him to say thanks." Qui-Gon smiled wide, clearly being mischievous as he spoke again. "Again, food is the way to a man's heart."

"I'm not trying to get to his heart." Ben opened the door and held it for his father.

Qui-Gon shrugged. "If you say so. But if you do decide to go after his heart, in friendship of course, you know what to do."

"Well right now we have a date outfit to find for you." Ben said, stopping by the map of the mall to look at the selection of shops.

"Yes. Should we look in a department store first? Or an actual clothing store?" Qui-Gon stepped up to the map beside his son, glancing over the shop names.

"Actual clothing stores. We may as well as we are at the mall, after all."

"How formal should I go? Probably not a full on suit…"

"Of course not. Just some nicer casual clothes. Maybe a nice pair of slacks with a button-down shirt."

"You have a better fashion sense than I do when it comes to casual looks that are also professional looking. Whatever you say I'll follow." Qui-Gon smiled as he pointed to one store on the map. "Let's try here first."

"It's pretty bad if the guy with a sweater vest collection is the one with the better fashion sense." Ben laughed, nodding as they started in the direction of the shop Qui-Gon had pointed to.

"I'm just not used to dressing up to go out. I usually wear dirty clothes because I need to get stuff from the gardening store."

"Hey now, I do your laundry along with mine every week! Your clothes are just beyond looking nice after a wash." Ben smirked, looking in the glass front of the shop and nodding at the manikins, "But this looks promising. I'm sure an employee will also be great help in making you look dateable."

 "Glad to have multiple people helping me." The older man looked at the mannequin's outfit. "It's been a while since I've had to look this nice…"

"Longer than I've been around and old enough to remember." Ben stepped into the store and moved over to a rack, checking the sizes of things to make sure they would fit his very tall father.

"I think the last time I really dressed up was when your mother was around. That really has been a while now, hasn't it?" Qui-Gon moved over to a different rack, being drawn in by a button up with a floral pattern.

"Must have been past my bedtime then. Or hidden under your poncho. Mom really didn't care what you wore, she just loved you." Ben smiled, pulling out a pair of light brown slacks he thought his father may like, and folding them over his arm to keep looking.

"We did go out a few times after you were in bed. You always wanted our attention when you were awake. Luckily when you fell asleep as a kid, you stayed asleep."

"That explains why sometimes when I'd get up for water I'd see Grandpa Yan watching TV." Ben chuckled.

"Yep, he babysat you when we were out." Qui-Gon chuckled as he pulled a plain white button up off the rack. "Is this too plain?"

"Plain and totally not you. It's okay to show your personality, dad."

"How about this one? It's got little flamingos all over it." He picked up a dark blue one with pink flamingos strewn about on the fabric.

Ben laughed, "That does scream you."

"Plus the flamingos aren't too flashy. Subtle unless you're right next to the shirt." Qui-Gon smiled. "I think I'll get it."

"Try these pants on with it and choose whichever pair looks the best with it, then." Ben said, handing Qui-Gon a selection of slacks in his size.

Qui-Gon nodded and went off to try on the pants he was given. Soon he returned with one pair in the same hand as the shirt he tried them with.

"Like them? Hate them?" Ben asked, looking up from a display of printed socks he'd been looking at while he waited. In his hand he held a pair of baby blue socks with little pink cats on them.

"I like this pair," Qui-Gon replied, gesturing to the pair matched with the shirt.

"Great. We'll get those then. And I guess we can spend some time looking around before stores start closing for the night."

"Sure, is there anything you'd like to look for?"

Ben shrugged, "Cute little things like these socks?" he said, holding up the cat socks.

Qui-Gon smiled. "I know of a few trinket stores here in the mall. We can check those out before leaving."

Nodding, the redhead grabbed a second pair of socks with little frogs on them, "Let's pay and then go take a look around."

After paying, the two made their way through the mall, larger shops closing up for the night as they passed by. Only a few remained open a little later, having a smaller space to clean up when patrons were finished shopping, and luckily those shops were the trinket shops Qui-Gon had mentioned. They most always were filled with small items and collectables that were hard to find anywhere else because they were rare or just not around anymore. Those shops were the perfect place to find something special to light up one's day.

The mixed smell of incense filled the small shop they stepped into, and Ben veered off away from his father to look along one display near the glass window at the front of the shop.

As the two went their separate ways, the small shop's soft music seemed to lull customers into a calm state of mind, what little customers were actually there. One lady was talking to the shop owner; both of whom were probably in a relationship judging by their conversation. There was also a younger man standing by a rack of CDs and cassette tapes, browsing through the album's in search of something new to listen to.

Moving around the displays one by one, Ben found himself at a display of polished rocks, some of which sparkled to catch his eye as he picked through them without any real intent on buying any.

The man at the CDs moved away with a sigh, deciding to look elsewhere in the store before it closed up for the night. There wasn't much he was interested in besides the music selections, so he quickly browsed about, watching for anything that caught his eyes.

Once he was finished with the stones, Ben set the ones he'd picked up back down and stepped back away from the display, turning to move on, only to bump into someone.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't see you there." He apologized.

The man grunted as he was bumped into. "It's fine," he said as he turned to look at Ben, then he lowered his eyebrows. "Oh, it's you..."

"Anakin?" Ben blinked up at him.

The blond huffed, clearly thrown off by seeing his coworker in a store he usually went to. "Thought I was done seeing you today. Guess I was wrong."

So taken aback by Anakin's words, Ben puffed up, crossing his arms, the bag containing his new socks bumping against his hip, "If I'm so unpleasant to look at, then close your eyes!"

Anakin took a step backwards. "I didn't say you were unpleasant to look at. I just...didn't expect to see a coworker in this shop."

"Then you should mind your tone and body language so you don't give off the wrong impression."

Anakin shifted, looking a bit out of his element. "This is how I've always been."

"Have you ever tried smiling as a greeting rather than narrowing your eyes to make it look like a glare?"

"You ever stop to think that I don't have a lot of good days?" Anakin snapped back, though his tone wasn't threatening.

"So you take it out on everyone around you instead of maybe letting someone in who could offer an understanding shoulder?"

"I don't take anything out on anyone. You just tend to get involved now that we share a cubicle."

"Then you don't hear what everyone else in the office are saying about you—what they think about you. Your mood affects them more than you realize. One of our coworkers even admires your art so much he wants to commission you for a tattoo design, but he's afraid to even ask! One girl thinks you're some sort of serial killer or something. I lost track of how many people have warned me to stay away from you, less you attack me. I didn't want to believe them and tried offering a friendly hand and whether you mean it to or not, you keep slapping it away."

Anakin blinked. "Someone in the office thinks I'm a serial killer? Why would they think that? I don't have any weird ticks when I get an itching to kill someone every couple months."

"….That's a joke, right?"

The blond cracked a smirk. "Sure."

Ben's voice dropped lower, "Please don't kill me. I'd be too easy a targets sitting with my back to you all day."

Anakin shrugged and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. "I don't care what people think of me honestly. I'm here to make money and get by, that's it. Life's too short to worry about what people think."

"But it's not so short that you should avoid the possibility of making friends."

"I've gotten by with no friends my whole life. I'm fine with spending the rest of my life alone, as I've said."

"And what if you miss your soulmate because of that? They could walk right by you and you'll never notice."

"I don't trust soulmates. All my experiences with soulmates, whether my own or one of someone close to me, it always ends badly."

"That can't be true, they say it's the most pure love—my father and mother were soulmates and they shared nothing but love."

"Maybe that's what they tell you in story books. It's never been the case in my experiences."

"Well, _have_ you met your soulmate, then?"

"Thought I did. She thought so too, but then we fell out. Wasn't incredibly nasty, but it was nasty enough."

"Her soul mark matched yours?"

"Nearly."

"Only nearly? Only perfect matches are true soulmates. That's when they bloom with color."

"Soul marks are supposed to be colorful? Well, that never happened. Mine's been as black as the day I was born." Anakin shrugged. "Not that I care. I could go all my life without a soulmate and be happy."

"I wouldn't be able to do that. I want to find my other half and see what kind of life we can make together." Ben said, looking down at his wrist where his mark lay dormant upon his pale skin, a gentle smile on his lips.

Anakin shook his head as he looked down at Ben's soul mark, and he almost gasped out loud at the mark he saw. He didn't say anything, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. He tried looking for the little imperfection his ex girlfriend had, and not finding it, his heart beat just a little faster in his chest.

"You're one of those who wants to settle down, huh…" He managed to say.

Ben let out a chuckle, "Is it lame that I'm one of those kind of romantics that sometimes curls up with a cheesy romance novel in the evening?"

"No, it's what you like, so I'm not one to judge."'

"Most people tell me I'm lame for it. But I like imagining myself meeting my soulmate in all those different ways that the characters do."

"Yeah… Life isn't a fairytale though, so don't find yourself disappointed by reality."

"I don't know, my parents met one day in the park. My dad was working as a gardener and was doing some weeding in the flowerbeds when he tossed a large weed over his shoulder and it landed on my mom's head, and that's how they met. That sounds like it could come from a story, don't you think?"

"I guess. I've never had a fairytale experience before though, so I'm skeptical of them."

"Maybe you should try reading more." Ben suggested.

"Read a lot when I was in school. Now not so much. I use my job to escape my home life now instead of reading books."

"Is your home life so bad?"

"When it's just my mom and I, it's not so bad. My dad is the trouble. I don't know why he even sticks around still." Anakin rolled his eyes heavily with a scoff.

"Do you mind if I ask?"

Anakin shook his head. "Nothing personal, but I'd rather not share personal family matters to someone I barely know."

"I understand, but… Okay, I know you don't want a friend or anything, but if your dad really gets to you…maybe we can just go out for a few drinks to get your mind off it or something after work…"

"You'd really go out for drinks with me? Despite what others have said about me?"

"I like to make up my own opinions of people by getting to know them rather than trusting hearsay." Ben shrugged.

"Well, if you say so. Sure, we'll go out for drinks some time." Anakin pulled out his phone to look at the time and sighed. "I need to go. Looks like I'm not getting a new album tonight." As he turned to leave, he almost pulled his hand out of his jacket to wave, but he instead pushed his hand deeper into the pocket, knowing full well that his own soul mark would have been seen by his coworker, and that was a topic he really didn't want to talk about at work.

As Anakin walked away, Qui-Gon came up beside Ben. "Who was that?"

"Coworker." Ben said, turning to look u at his father, "Find anything fun?"

"I found these marbles with little flowers in them, but other than that, nothing much." Qui-Gon pulled out the marbles for his son to look at.

"Oh, those are neat. Are you going to get them for your collection?"

"Now what kind of question is that?" He tapped Ben's nose with a smile as he went to the register.

"Hey, you could have changed your mind." Ben shrugged, following him.

* * *

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Anakin sighed as he walked up the sidewalk leading to the front door of his home. He had noticed the considerably nicer looking car in the driveway, which could only mean that his father was visiting. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself as he entered, trying to make a run for his bedroom as quickly as possible without being seen by his father.

Inside, he could hear his mother's voice, "I want you to stop." She said firmly, "Anakin's not a child anymore. We don't share custody anymore—it's his choice if he lets you or I into his life."

Collecting himself, Anakin shook his head and headed towards the kitchen where his mother's voice came from. When he stepped into the doorway, he saw his mother and father both sitting at the table, on opposite sides thankfully. He cleared his throat to get his mother's attention.

"Anakin." She stood up and smiled, though it was strained, "Have you had dinner yet?"

"No, but I'm not sure I have an appetite now..." He glanced at his father as he moved over to the refrigerator.

"I made a pot pie out of yesterday's leftovers. It's in the oven still, but it's done. Just being kept warm." She said.

At the table, Anakin's father shifted in his seat, his grey-blue eyes following his son as he moved, "When are you going to stop dressing like an overdramatic teenager?"

"When are you going to stop coming to our house?" Anakin countered as he grabbed the jug of milk and poured himself a glass of it.

"When you finally see sense and come home with me. When you're ready to embrace your heritage and true family name." the older man said.

"Fuck you and your family name," Anakin spat before taking a drink of his milk. "Why can't you get the hint that we don't want you around here anymore?"

"Why, my boy, you are my son. It is only natural that I'd want you by my side running the family business. You are a Palpatine, it's time you acted like it."

"No I'm fucking not. I'm a Skywalker, so forget about your dream of having your son run your company after you die."

"You are a Palpatine, and you will do well to show me respect! Your mother raised you too soft—I should have fought harder for primary custody!" Sheev hissed.

"I'm not a minor anymore. You have no more custody over me that Mom does."

"Which is why I can ask you to come with me permanently. You'll have everything you could want. Money? Well, we are a rich family, expense is never an issue. Girls? You could have as many or few as you want warming your bed. You could even have your own top of the line studio for your little art hobby."

Anakin rolled his eyes. "It's not a hobby now. It's my job."

"Selling a painting or two is hardly a job."

"I make book cover art for a publishing company. That's not a painting or two."

"I see, yet you still live with your mother. You can't be making all that much. Why continue to be a burden on her when you could have the world?"

"Because, unlike you, I actually love her. She gets more support from me than you'll ever give her."

"She's not mine to support. She's just a pretty face I slept with once."

"You're disgusting. She's a human being whose life was ruined by you sticking your filthy rich nose into it!"

"It wasn't my nose that I stuck into her 'life'. Besides, I have made her life better. After your birth and testing proved that you were mine, I gave her the money to start her little café."

"Instead of helping raise me, like a proper father and soulmate would. Too bad you're not my mom's real soulmate."

"Of course not. I never claimed to be her soulmate." The silver-haired man huffed, "Soulmates are a waste of time. I had my marked removed surgically years ago, and it never had matched your mother's. But I gave her, her dream business, and I made sure she had enough money to raise you as she had primary custody."

Anakin made a frustrated sigh. "Why can't you just leave us alone? You're not connected to this family other than being my biological father. You don't help us pay bills, you don't care about anything but your big business. I give most of my money to my mom so we can pay bills and she can keep the café open. You criticize everything I do, even going so far as to say that my job as a professional artist is nothing but a mere hobby! Not once have you praised my artwork or how well my mom runs her café. You just gave us money a couple times and dropped out of our lives, so why don't you just quit coming here already?!"

"You will return with me one of these days. You'll probably have to learn the hard way that I only know what's best for you, but in the end you will leave this place."

"No I won't, you old bastard. Get that through your thick skull." Anakin moved towards the older man, eyebrows lowered and body posture rigid and threatening. "I won't tell you again to leave."

The man picked up his jacket and slipped it on, "I will leave for now. But do try to think over the benefits of claiming your rights as a Palpatine. I wouldn't stop you from supporting your mother with our family fortune."

"My answer will always be the same," the blond said as he followed Sheev out of the house.

"Never say never." Sheev said, unlocking his car and getting in.

"Don't come back here," Anakin said as he slammed the front door shut, locking it before returning to the kitchen with an exhausted sigh.

"I'm sorry, Ani…I tried to get him to leave before you got home, but…" Shmi said from the kitchen doorway.

"It's okay. I was more than happy to kick him out myself." He shook his head and looked at his mother with a much softer expression than he had given his father.

She stepped forward and hugged him, tucking herself against his chest with a sigh, "…I hate that man, but he did give me you…I don't know where I'd be if I didn't have you, Ani."

Anakin wrapped his arms around her protectively, pressing her head against his chest. "I hate him as much as you do… I just wish he would learn that we don't want him in our lives, despite bringing us together."

"He won't stop." She shook her head and looked up at him, "Horror movie night to forget he was here?" she suggested.

"We could… we could also talk about how I ran into that coworker I told you about at the mall."

"The one that made brownies the other day?" she asked.

"Yeah… Mom, he's got the same soul mark as me…"

"The same? Exact same?" she said, taking his hand and turning it over so she could see the mark on his palm, "You didn't activate the bond?"

"Yes, exact same, not like Padmé's that had a small difference. No, I didn't activate the bond. How could I? 'Hey, you have the same soul mark as me, even though we just met, so let's be soulmates!' You know how crazy that sounds?"

"When you put it that way, it does sound awkward. There are better ways. But you two did talk about it, right?"

"No, he mentioned something about wanting to settle down and showed off his soul mark, and I was too busy freaking out to say something…" Anakin pulled away from his mother, running his hands through his hair. "Why does this have to happen to me? I don't even want a soulmate."

"So you know, but he doesn't? And you know he's wanting to find you? Ani, you should talk to him about it, even if it's something you don't want. He may feel rejected, but he'll know it'd be better just to look for someone he has chemistry with instead of holding out in hopes of his soulmate."

"He's always wanted this fairytale meeting with his soulmate, and what he got instead was watching me come into work late with a cup of coffee in my hand, and apparently everyone told him to stay away from me because I'm some dark and brooding character in the office."

"I can't tell you what to do, Ani, but wanting to activate your bond or not, you should tell him." She moved over to the couch and sat down, "…I know I'd want to know if my soulmate didn't want me. I had always dreamed of meeting my soulmate, but after so long…I just came to terms with the fact that I wouldn't be one of the lucky ones who find their true match. Plus I had a wonderful baby boy. I didn't need more than that."

Anakin went to sit next to his mother with a sigh. "Sorry, I know you really wanted to meet your true soulmate. I wish I knew where they were so I could bring them to you."

She smiled, "I have a date tomorrow night, remember? And he may not be my soulmate, but he seems a really nice guy. If we hit it off, I could be really happy with him in my life."

"Oh yeah, what time is that tomorrow?"

"Eight. I already have my dress picked out and hanging on my bedroom door."

"Good, so I'll be around when you start to get ready. Is he coming to pick you up, or are you meeting some place?"

"We're meeting at the café, and then go from there to the restaurant."

"Sounds fun," Anakin said with a smile. "I hope he turns out to be as nice as he seemed to be."

"I hope so, too. I'll let you know if we decide to see each other again." Shmi promised.

"Good, because I'd love to know if this guy is a keeper or not."

"If he is, I'll make sure to set up a time when he can meet you."

"I'd like that. Gotta make sure the next guy my mom takes interest in doesn't turn out to be like Sheev."

"I'm older now, more mature, and I know better what I want and what's best for me. I was young when I met Sheev, he was an older man with empty promises that I fell for, and now he's stuck in my life. Time to move on. If not with this man, then with another."

"Can't wait for the day that old bastard dies. I'll go to his funeral and laugh." Anakin sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Can't believe he still thinks I'm just a freelance artist. I've been working for that publishing company for a while now."

"You know he doesn't put any stock into art unless it hangs in some stuffy gallery selling for far more than everything we own including our home and my café."

"I know, so I shouldn't care, but I do. I don't know why I care because he's never going to appreciate art, no matter how expensive it can be."

"The man is still your father, and deep down you do want his approval of the things _you_ care about." She sighed.

"Yeah, but I still hate his guts. He really needs to just not come here anymore."

"I know." She got up, "How about we forget all about him, and I go plate us up some food, and you get a movie ready? Have a nice mother-son movie date."

Anakin nodded as he also got up. "You still want to watch a horror movie? Or something similar?"

"Yeah, they always make me feel better after having to look at your father's smug face."

"Great, I'll pick the most gruesome one we have," Anakin said with a smirk.

Shmi chuckled and moved to the kitchen.

 

* * *

 

Ben sat at the table in the break room, the packed lunch he had brought that day laying out before him as he chewed slowly with his eyes closed in order to rest his eyes. The computer was straining them, and he was starting to think it was time to update his contacts, or switch over to wearing his glasses more often. Either way, he didn't like how his eyes were reacting to his computer screen that day.

A few silent people came and went through the room on shorter breaks, knowing their respective lunch times and when they would be free to escape their cubicles. Then a little later the notorious sound of heavy metal entered the room, announcing the arrival of Anakin into the break room. He was dressed much more casual that day, seeing as it was Friday and the normal work attire was not required for work. His t-shirt, sporting his favorite band and tour dates, allowed his tattooed arm to be shown off as he moved over to the refrigerator in the break room and grabbed a bottle of water.

Ben opened his eyes and glanced over at Anakin, swallowing before he decided to speak. "Were you there?"

"What?" Anakin asked as he turned his torso just enough for him to look at the redhead.

"A concert for that band's tour. Were you there?" Ben asked, nodding to the taller man's shirt.

"Oh, yeah." the blond said as he took one ear bud out.

"Sounds exciting. Was it near here or did you have to travel?"

"Traveled. Nearest concert was three hours away."

"That's not too bad a drive." Ben nodded.

"Went to one nine hours away before. Special concert, so the drive was worth it." Anakin took a drink of his water and sat at the table, careful to hide his palm from Ben's view.

"Now that's a long time to sit in a car. Did you at least have people with you for conversation and singing along with a CD of the band you were going to see with?"

"Alone, but I did get an autographed CD."

"I don't think I could drive alone that long, even for something I like." Ben shook his head, taking another bite of his sandwich.

Anakin shrugged. "You get used to being alone after a while..."

"You keep claiming that but…I don't know; I'd have to take my dad with me for company if I had no friends who wanted to go with me on a road trip."

"Then you probably aren't introverted."

"Oh no, I am! I just hate driving." Ben laughed, "I may seem like a social butterfly, but nothing feels better than getting home to recharge with my cat as the only one to really bother me. My father leaves me be, usually."

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "Didn't tag you as the type to like to stay home."

"Home is where my bookshelf is." He shrugged, "And I could say the same about you. Looking at you I'd assume you'd be the kind of guy who likes to go out to those hip clubs or whatever they are. Maybe even DJ them.

Anakin shook his head. "Not into the pop music they play at most clubs. Put me at a rock concert in the mosh pit, and that's the most social you'll ever see me."

"Isn't that claustrophobic?"

"Not when you're enjoying the hell out of the whole experience."

"I guess I'd have to experience it myself to understand."

"I'm not sure you'd like it. You look too sensitive for a rock concert mosh pit." Anakin smirked.

"I might surprise you. Don't let my pastel purple sweater vest fool you into thinking I wouldn't try it!"

"You wouldn't survive one minute in a mosh pit," Anakin countered.

"I'd be crowd-surfing in minutes!" Ben boasted.

"You wouldn't even make it on top of the crowd to begin crowd surfing. Besides, it involves a lot of groping. A _lot_."

"What, would that make you jealous?" Ben joked with a smirk.

A confused expression crossed Anakin's face as he leaned back in his chair a little. "Why would that make me jealous?"

"Well, have a pretty nice ass." He said bluntly, picking up a carrot stick.

"Noted, but that still doesn't make me jealous."

"Then why be so concerned about strangers groping me at a hypothetical concert?"

"Because I'm sure you've never been to a rock concert, so I'm sure you don't know what all comes with going to one."

"You're right, I haven't, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have a good time at one."

Anakin chuckled to himself. "Sounds like you need to go to one, but not in those sweater vests you wear."

"I have one in red, would that work?"

"Nope. You need t-shirts and jeans, maybe some boots. Do you own any of those, or do you dress like this every day?"

"I have a pair of winter boots…"

"They won't do you any good at a concert, even if the concert is outside in the winter. Sounds like we'd need to go shopping _if_ I ever invite you to a concert. That's a big if, by the way."

"Could I at least wear my cat socks?" Ben asked, sticking his leg out to the side and tugging his pant leg up slightly to show off his new socks.

"You see how I'm dressed today? Yeah, you got to look like this."

"So, no to the socks?"

"You could probably get away with those. They're pretty cool, not gonna lie."

Ben grinned, "They were on sale for half off! Fun socks like these are my guilty pleasure. Even when I'm in my work suit I'm wearing fun socks."

"I have a pair that have tacos all over them. Wore them yesterday, actually. Should have saved them for today."

"You'll have to show me them next time you wear them to work."

Anakin nodded, then looked at the time on his phone. "Looks like my break is over…"

Ben nodded and glanced down at his own, "Yeah, I need to finish eating before my time's up as well."

As he stood up, the blond looked like he was about to say something else, then he shut his mouth, put his headphones back in, and left with his water in his hand, looking a bit frustrated as he left the room.

Ben watched him go before turning back to his packed lunch and sipping his juice before finishing up his sandwich. He didn't know what had changed, but he felt good about being on more friendly terms with Anakin. The man at least seemed open to casual conversation, which was better than before.

 

* * *

 

Anakin messed with the hem of his shirt as he sat in the office of his boss. He had been called to Mace's office with little information. He hoped someone hadn't reported him for harassment, or something dumb like that, but of course he wouldn't know until Mace started talking to him.

The man in question was sitting in his chair, looking over a print off before sighing and shifting his dark eyes up to look at Anakin, "Don't look so worried, I promise I have what some call a resting bitch face." He tried lightening the mood with a smirk.

"Oh, I'm not worried, unless you called me in to fire me for being too brooding and dark in the workplace." Anakin chuckled to himself.

"You're work is far too good to let you go for such a minor thing." Mace Windu chuckled, leaning back in his seat. "I've called you in here for two reasons, the first is pretty standard. As you know we have been working with the best-selling author George Lucas on a new series. It's been pretty top-secret so far content-wise. Well, we are nearing publication on the first book and it's time to bring you in for the cover art. In a few weeks he'll be here to meet with you in person to go over the concepts you come up with and refine a final concept for you to work on. I wanted to tell you this in person for security reasons." He explained before pushing a file across the desk to Anakin. "In there you will find descriptions of key characters you may want to include. I can also tell you that the series is a science-fantasy. Lots of space battles and futuristic stuff in a galaxy far, far away."

Anakin leaned forward and looked over the descriptions briefly. "Sounds fun. I can't wait to meet Mr. Lucas."

"He tells me he's excited to meet you in person after the art you did for his last Indiana Jones book." Mace nodded, "He was really impressed."

"Oh, that was his book? I loved doing the art for that one. Haven't had much opportunity to draw a full jungle."

"You hadn't realized it was part of his Indiana Jones series?" Mace asked, raising a brow, "Never the less, keep this project safe from prying eyes should you need to work on it outside the office."

"Not a problem, Sir. It won't get out to anyone."

"Good. Now, onto the second reason I brought you here. I believe you know a man by the name of Sheev Palpatine?"

The blond groaned. "What did he do?"

"He contacted me about selling my company to him. I have no idea where he got the idea that I was looking to sell."

"He's just trying to get me to take over his business, which I've stated to him multiple times I don't want to do that."

"I see, but why would buying my company convince you to take over his business?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. He's a crazy old man anyways."

"Noted, but it's becoming clear he isn't taking no for an answer. After I turned his offer down, his lawyers contacted mine to discuss a deal, which I told mine that I'm not interested."

"I'm tired of that man sticking his nose into places he's not welcome. He acts like a giant toddler when he doesn't get what he wants."

"Well, if you see him again, I'd appreciate it if you asked him to stop pressuring me to sell."

"With pleasure. I'll knock a few teeth out as well, because I've had enough of that old bastard." Anakin sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Please do not give him the impression I asked you to assault him." Mace said, though the corners of his lips twitched upwards.

"Don't worry; I've got plenty of reasons to want to punch him besides him asking you to sell out."

"Sounds complicated. In any case, you should get back to work."

"Right, thanks for this new project. I was getting bored drawing my own things at work," Anakin said as he stood up with a smirk.

Mace raised an eyebrow, "I hope that was a joke. As our only artist, you have plenty of work."

"Yes that was a joke... I'll get to work."

"Good." He nodded and turned to his computer as Anakin left his office.

* * *

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

"Don't forget your wallet." Ben said, standing in the doorway of his father's room as the man hurried around getting ready. "Or your shoes."

"Yes, of course, can't leave without either of those." Qui-Gon rushed about his home, his hair freshly cleaned, blow dried, and tied back into a half ponytail. It was probably the best he had looked in years.

Ben chuckled, "You're excited. That's nice to see. Mom would be happy to see you moving on, too."

"I would hope so. It's time I found a new friend other than flowers and plants." Qui-Gon smiled as he approached his son, now with shoes on his feet.

"Don't forget your amazing son in that list of friends!"

"Of course, how could I forget my amazing son?" The older man ruffled Ben's hair as he passed by.

Smirking, the redhead allowed it as he looked his father up and down. "I'd say zip up your fly, and you're ready to go."

"Oh! Thank you so much. If you weren't here, tonight would never have gone this smoothly."

"You would have showed up with no shoes or wallet, your fly down, and your hair tied back with a ratty strip of cloth rather than an actual hair tie." Ben snickered, "Though that would have been a fun test to see if this woman sticks around after such a first dating impression."

"She probably wouldn't make a call back for another date. But you helped me, so hopefully that won't happen."

"Well, if she did want a second date with you after that, then she's definitely a keeper! But still, it's better to have your fly up."

"Always. So embarrassing to have it caught down by someone you're not close to…" Qui-Gon smoothed down the collar of his shirt and sighed, taking the keys to the van in his hand. "Alright, wish me luck, Ben. Let's see if your old man still has a way with the ladies."

"Good luck, have fun, and try not to trip over your own feet in attempt of being a gentleman."

"I'll try my hardest. I'll be back probably late tonight, so help yourself to anything in the fridge. You know the drill." Qui-Gon winked before he left their home, closing the door behind him.

"We don't have much in there, I'll probably order takeout." Ben shrugged.

 

* * *

 

"Mom, your hair looks fine. It'll get all frizzy if you keep messing with it." Anakin stood behind his mother, fixing up her hair slightly that had been readjusted too many times that night.

"But this curl keeps falling flat despite all the hair spray!" she sighed, trying to wind a lock around her finger to put a curl back into it.

"That's because you keep touching it. Let it be." The young blond sighed as he moved to fix that specific curl yet again.

"I just want to look beautiful tonight." She said, lowering her hands into her lap.

"It will. You always look beautiful though."

"You're my son, I raised you to say that!" she laughed, turning around in her seat and looking up at him, "What are your final plans for tonight?"

Anakin shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe watch a movie? Something cheesy to sympathize with your feelings for the night."

Shmi raised an eyebrow at him, "Alone? Or are you having a certain someone over?"

"Alone. I didn't invite anyone over."

His mother looked a little disappointed, "You haven't told him, have you?"

Anakin sighed. "No, again, why would I tell him? He's going to be disappointed when he knows the truth, so why tell him at all?"

"You don't know he'll be disappointed."

"Mom, he's told me he wants a fairy tale meeting with his soulmate. He didn't get that."

"Not yet. You still have time to make the reveal romantic, passionate, or sweet like in stories." She said, putting on a pair of earrings.

"How am I gonna make it romantic? My mark is on my hand, his is on his wrist, what kind of situation is that going to end up being?"

"You're a creative young man, I'm sure you could think of something. Maybe something like present to him a flower in your palm and when he takes it, it shows your soul mark."

"Yeah, but that doesn't sound like me. I'm more likely to take him to a concert before I ever think about giving him flowers."

"I'd think a concert is more of a date thing, not a reveal thing. You know, sharing interests and getting to know each other better." She stood up and smiled, "Think it over; maybe you'll get a great idea while watching cheesy movies tonight."

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure I'll get several ideas. Besides, maybe I missed a small detail in his soul mark, like what happened with Padmé."

"That is possible, yes." She agreed, picking up her purse and looking around to make sure she had everything.

"I hope it's that, honestly... Would save me the trouble of making sure he gets his fairy tale meeting."

"Oh darling, don't worry about it so much. In truth, they say it's activating that bond that is the fairytale meeting, not the initial greeting. Though it's fun imagining the whole love at first sight thing happening."

"Apparently that's how it went for his parents. But meetings like that are rare, and they can easily be made up." Anakin shook his head. "Even if we are soulmates, I just don't see it working out between us."

"And why is that?"

"He's the polar opposite of me! Like how can a metalhead like me work a relationship with a man who's the very definition of the bookworm aesthetic?"

"Soulmates are supposed to balance each other just as much as compliment and complete. Maybe he needs a little 'bad boy' in his life and you need someone softer."

"Mom," Anakin groaned. "I don't need someone who's soft, I need someone like me, and there's no way I can turn him into someone I'd be interested in."

"Give him a chance. Maybe you'll find that what you think you are interested in is far from the truth. Now, I need to go before I'm late. I'll see you when I get home."

"Right. Have fun, and don't touch your hair." Anakin smiled.

"I'll try not to." She smiled, popping onto her toes to kiss his cheek, "Don't wait up for me."

"Call if you need anything."

"And text if he turns out to be a creep." She nodded before going to the door of their small home.

 

* * *

 

Shmi stood under the awning of her café, watching people walk by as she waited for her date and playing with the very lock of hair her son had told her to let alone.

Luckily she didn't have to wait long. Qui-Gon approached her with a smile, looking much more put together than the last time she had seen him. "Hello there." he greeted.

Turning, she smiled and lowered her hand to hold the strap of her purse, "You're a little early—I confess I expected you to be late…"

"I usually am," he replied with a chuckle. "My son helped me get ready though, so I was ready quicker than normal."

"My son helped me, too. Mostly with my hair. The boy really could have been a hair dresser if he wanted to be." She chuckled, "May I take your arm as we walk to the restaurant?"

"You may." Qui-Gon held his arm or for her, then they headed off to the restaurant at a moderate stroll. "Well your son did a fantastic job on your hair. It's quite lovely."

"Thanks, it's probably not as great now as when I left, He scolded me for playing with it…" she laughed, linking her arm with his as they walked. It was then that she became aware of just how tall the man was, "My, you are tall, aren't you?"

The man chuckled. "Yes, but somehow my tall genes didn't get passed down to my son."

"Was his mother short, then? My son ended up even taller than his father. I enjoy the fact of knowing my son can literally look down on him."

"Shorter, yes... But I'm assuming there's good reason you like that your son is taller that his father?"

"His father is the worst. He was just aiming to get between my legs and then he was gone, leaving me pregnant and alone for years until he heard about our son. Now he just shows up trying to take my son away, just so he can have his heir to his family's business or whatever it is that makes them millionaires."

"Ah, so you never found your real soulmate then. I'm sorry to hear that."

"No, I haven't…was your son's mother your soulmate?"

"Yes she was. It's was one of those love at first sight situations."

"She must have been lovely. I'm sorry you had to lose her."

"I've accepted that she's gone. She's far better now than she was her last days, but I know she still watches over my son and I. I catch myself talking to her sometimes."

"I'm sure she's never far from you, and I hope she doesn't mind me possibly dating her soulmate."

"She'd want me to move on. My son seems to think so anyways." He chuckled.

"I'd hope for his approval, too. Maybe our sons can meet if this date works out. My son could use a friend, but he's too stubborn to admit it, and afraid of being hurt again for letting people in close…his father's mostly to blame, there. In one attempt at getting my son to choose him as his primary care giver during custody battles, he paid off all of Ani's friends to stop hanging out with him. Add that to his messy breakup with his later girlfriend, and now he's found his soulmate but won't approach him."

"Your son sounds like he's had a hard life. I wish I could help him out, but he'd probably be slow to trust me since I'm a stranger."

"It'll help you a lot if he knows you make me happy." She chuckled, "So we'll see how this goes tonight before we worry about our grown sons entering the picture."

"Probably a safe course of action," Qui-Gon agreed.

"I'm still hopeful for our situation." She said as they turned into the entrance of a nice restaurant.

"Me too. I was looking forward to this date all day actually. For the good food and better company."

"I haven't dated since before I became a mother, so I apologize in advance at not knowing how to do this first date thing. I'll probably end up talking about my son a lot tonight."

"I'd have no problem with that. I love talking about my son, especially to parents who are in a similar situation as I am."

They paused in their conversation as they were shown to their seats and given menus, and then Shmi glanced across the table at Qui-Gon, "If you don't mind, can I ask how long you have been a single parent? Was your son still young?"

"Oh, it's been a while. My son was about nine I think," Qui-Gon said as he picked up a menu and started to flick through it

"I see, so you really would understand the struggles of being a single parent of a little boy." She nodded, glancing back down at the menu.

"For the most part, yes. I loved every moment I spent with him while he was growing up."

"What kind of boy was he?"

"Very energetic and excited about most things. He'd always help around the flower shop as well. He really was a sweet kid. Still is, really."

"You have a flower shop?"

"Yes, a small business, but it gets me enough money to get by. I love it."

It seems we have that in common. Having businesses that are small but loved."

"My son is a real advocate for small businesses. He works for a bigger company now, but it's more local than other companies, so he settled with that job."

"Good to see him wanting to support local businesses. I take it he's the reason you were in my shop the other day rather than in the Starbucks across the street?"

"You would be correct. Besides, local cafes tend to have better drinks than the chain coffee shops."

"That is completely the truth, and I pride myself on that!" Shmi chuckled.

"As you should. Local businesses are almost always better that chain companies."

"Should I need or want flowers, I'll know who to call." She smiled.

Qui-Gon smiled back as the waiter came to take their drink orders.

Shmi placed her drink order, and then turned back to her menu for food options.

"So what are you thinking of getting to eat?" the man asked as he too turned back to his menu.

"I'm not sure, maybe the seafood pasta? I don't get to have a lot of seafood."

"Good choice. I think I'm getting a steak."

Shmi nodded, "Always a good choice."

"Especially for a high end restaurant like this one. Can always count on a good steak."

"And this time, good company."

Qui-Gon smiled with a chuckle. "I could say the same."

Shmi let out a soft giggle, lightly running her toe along his leg under the table.

 

* * *

 

Qui-Gon returned home well after the sun had set, feeling happy and satisfied with how well the date went. He whistled to himself as he entered his home, not thinking if Ben was awake still or not.

His son was on the couch, and it was clear that he had tried staying up to greet Qui-Gon when he returned, but had lost the battle with his heavy eyelids as the young man lay half falling off the couch, his book already resting on the carpet, and an empty teacup on the table.

Qui-Gon set his keys down and looked over to the couch, chuckling to himself. He moved over to his son and lightly shook his shoulder.

Ben hummed and shifted just enough that he fell the rest of the way off the couch, yelping in surprise as he woke up and looked around wide-eyed until his gaze settled on his father.

The older man laughed and helped his son back onto the couch. "You know, you should have just gone to bed if you were tired."

"I didn't know I had fallen asleep until I was hitting the floor." Ben muttered, his face red with embarrassment, "How was your date?"

"The date went perfectly. We talked about you and her son quite a bit, if I'm to be honest, but it was nothing bad, I promise."

"She has a son, too? How old?" Ben asked, rubbing a kink out of his neck from his awkward position he'd been in on the couch.

"I don't remember what she said... But I think early to mid 20s is close." Qui-Gon shrugged as he settled into the couch.

"So close to me in age. I was imagining a kid. Maybe ten." Ben chuckled, "If you two end up seeing each other more often it'd be nice to meet the guy."

"He sounds nice from everything she told me. Apparently he's having trouble with his soulmate, because he knows who his soulmate is, but his soulmate has no clue. Must be rough these days to start a relationship with your soulmate."

"He must be shy or something. I imagine if I ever found my soulmate, I'd trip over myself in my excitement, as much as I'd like to imagine it being something from a fairytale."

"He could be. Of course I didn't ask, because maybe that's too personal for a first date." Qui-Gon shrugged. "At least she loved the restaurant we went to."

"That's good. I know you were a little nervous about where to take her. Did you end up taking her flowers?"

"No, but I will on our next date." Qui-Gon smiled at his son excitedly.

Ben grinned at him, "I knew you wouldn't blow it."

"Nope. We've got another date next week."

"Way to go dad!" Ben nudged the tall man and flopped back against the back of the couch, "Now if only I can find someone."

"You'll find your soulmate. Sometimes it takes a while, and the waiting is always worth it."

"I know, but I also feel like maybe I should get out more…staying home with my books isn't increasing my chances at finding them, and I really don't like the idea of those dating apps like Soul Search."

"I know. Maybe we can go on a walk somewhere this week, just be out and about. Who knows, maybe you'll bump into your soulmate."

"Maybe. A walk in a park sounds better than trying to go to a crowded club where the music is so loud you can't talk to anyone."

"I agree. I'm not sure what the appeal of those clubs is."

"I think if there has to be loud music, it should be live so you can fully appreciate the energy and heart the musicians put into it."

Qui-Gon nodded. "I haven't been to a concert in a long time, but the live music is always better that what's on tape or CD."

"Or record, though I prefer records over CDs. I like the white noise it adds. I'm glad they are starting to make a comeback."

"Yes, quite interesting to me actually. I suppose they're more for aesthetic now rather than the quality."

"And it let me more easily buy my own record player so I could return yours to your room." Ben gave a guilty grin, "Oh! But speaking of live music! I had been listening to the radio while you were out and they had a call-in giveaway that I decided to try, and I happened to win four tickets to see that new musical that's showing in the big city in a few weeks. If you are interested I'll give you two of the tickets."

"Oh, yes! I'll invite Shmi to it. It'd make a wonderful third date."

"Great, and that'll leave me with an extra ticket to invite a friend with."

"Maybe your grumpy coworker will appreciate it." Qui-Gon chuckled as he stood up and stretched.

Ben laughed, "I can't imagine him at such a show, but he could be full of surprises."

"Won't know until you ask him. If he turns you down, you'll know your answer."

"I don't know if I want to ask him, though. I have become friends with other coworkers, after all. In any case, I have time to decide."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Well, it's late, and I know I would like some sleep in a bed before the sun rises. I suggest you also sleep in a bed tonight."

"I suppose it'd be better than if I tried the couch again." Ben stood and stretched before picking up his fallen book, placing it on the table, and taking his cup to the kitchen. "Goodnight, dad."

"Sleep well," Qui-Gon responded as he moved off towards his bedroom.

 

* * *

 

Shmi slipped into the small home she shared with her grown son, setting her purse down on a table before kicking off her shoes.

"Ani? You awake?" she asked as the lights were still on.

"Yeah, I'm in the kitchen," Anakin called out, stepping into the doorway to the kitchen with a jug of milk in one hand and a sandwich in the other. He was only in his sleeping pants, so clearly he was out for a midnight snack.

"Late dinner or even later snack?" she asked, taking note of his food and drink.

"Snack. I was gonna go back to my room, but I'll stay out to talk." He took a bite of his sandwich.

"Curious?" she smiled, walking into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"Of course. I wanna hear how your date went, and if I need to meet this man in the future or not."

She blushed, "We have agreed to a second date." She confessed.

"It was that good, huh? Must be a keeper."

"We mostly talked about you and his son. He has also been a single parent for a long time so we could really connect and understand each other's struggles with raising a boy alone."

"Good thing you found something in common. Sounds like you really had a good time with him."

"I did, he's a lovely man. How was your movie night in?"

"It was alright. Most of the movies I watched were cheesy and too predictable, so I kind of gave up trying to pay attention to them." Anakin shrugged.

"How many did you manage?"

"Watched one full one before my attention was drawn elsewhere. Kept putting in movies for background noise though."

"I see. Well, Qui-Gon and I went for a nice walk after dinner, and then he escorted me safely to my car before he went to find his own. Next time I'm wearing flats."

"Probably a smart idea," Anakin agreed. "So when's the next date?"

"Next week. It's my turn to choose the date activity."

"What area you thinking of doing?"

"I'm honestly not sure. He owns a little flower shop so maybe he'd like walking around a public garden?"

"Maybe you can take him to a zoo. They have lots of plants in zoos, plus tons of animals to look at."

"Maybe. I have time to make plans and let him know." She shrugged.

Anakin nodded. "Make sure it's a good place. You want that third date, I'm sure."

"I do, I really like this guy." Shmi smiled, "Very tall, too. He'd make you feel short."

"I'm tall, but I'm not a giant. Sounds like he might be though, if what you say is correct." Anakin chuckled. "I sometimes wonder where I got my height from."

"I didn't notice until we were walking side by side. Of course he was sitting before when he asked me out."

"Did he say if his son was tall as well?"

"He said his son took after his mother's lack of height." She chuckled, "So no, he's not so tall, though I don't know if that would still put him at around your height or not."

"I suppose his version of tall would be different from yours or mine." Anakin shrugged.

"I'll just have to wait and see when he's ready for me to formally meet his son."

"I can't wait to meet him. I wanna see how much taller than me he really is."

"You'll see soon enough." She promised her son

Anakin smiled and finished off his sandwich. "You're probably tired now. Go get ready for bed, I'll close up everything for the night."

She nodded and ran her fingers through his messy hair, "Thank you, dear. But I think I'll treat myself to a nice bath before I get into bed." She smiled and pulled away, moving towards the bathroom.

"I'll still lock everything up, but I'll stay in the front room, in case a certain someone decides to drop by this late at night."

"Who—your father? If he does for whatever reason, just tell him no one's home. I can't deal with him after such a nice date night."

"I won't even answer the door if it's him. I'll just glare at the door until he goes away."

"Throw one of your dirty, smelly socks at him if you have to."

Anakin chuckled. "I doubt he'll come this late, but if he does I'll get rid of him."

"That's my boy." She smiled before disappearing into the bathroom.

* * *

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey, Ben, have you seen my stylus? I can't find it on my desk." Anakin moved papers and trash around, hoping to find the stylus pen that went with his drawing tablet. He wasn't having much luck.

"You mean your special mouse that's shaped like a pen for your drawings?" Ben asked, turning around in his chair enough to look at the artist, "Last I saw you were using it, but that was back when I got up to get some tea from the break room."

"Yeah, I had it earlier, but it's just gone now..." The blond sighed as he rolled his chair back slightly to look under his desk. "I literally just had it, how is it gone?"

"Maybe it rolled under something?" Ben suggested, looking under his own desk.

"I didn't take it to the break room with me, did I?" Sitting back, Anakin rubbed his face in thought. "Maybe I did..."

"Maybe, it's worth a loo—" Ben looked up at Anakin again and cut himself off with a laugh. Then he leaned forward and reached out, grabbing the missing stylus which was tucked away behind Anakin's ear and hidden within his messy curls. He held it up and wiggled it with a smile, "Found it."

Anakin stared at the stylus with a blank expression, then he grabbed it from Ben's hand, not thinking which hand he reached out to grab it with. "Thanks..."

"Pesky pen, hiding itself in your blind spot." Ben chuckled.

"Rarely happens to me. Must be an off day."

"Maybe it's because you didn't bring your music to blast to keep you focused." Ben suggested jokingly as he had noticed the lack of headphones and muffled music that morning.

"I didn't bring my music today, did I... Not that it matters. I've worked with no music before." Anakin turned back to his computer. "Just... Feeling anxious today."

"Anxious? About what, if I may ask."

"Uh, well..." Anakin took a deep breath. "You always wanted a fairy tale meeting with your soulmate, right?"

"Well, yeah. It probably won't be like that, but I can dream. Knowing my luck whomever my soulmate is will trip and dump hot coffee all over me or something." He chuckled, "Why? Have you been starting to think about how you'll meet your soulmate?"

"You could say that." Looking down at his hand with his soul mark, Anakin shook his head. "Though I'm pretty sure I already met mine."

"Oh? So you're anxious about your first date?"

"No, I don't even know if I'll get a first date with him because..." Anakin's words trailed off as he held out his palm for Ben to see. "I don't know if he'll accept that I'm his soulmate..."

"Why wouldn't he…" Ben started to say as his gaze was drawn down to Anakin's hand, his eyes widening at the familiar mark. Then he was tugging on his sleeve to expose his own mark, needing to be sure that he wasn't just seeing things.

"Because he didn't get the fairy tale meeting he always dreamed of." Anakin sighed as he looked at Ben's mark

"When did you find out?" Ben asked, studying the two and looking for any slight differences, not wanting to get his hopes too high only to be crushed if Anakin wasn't his match.

"A week ago? Maybe less than that, but I didn't know how to tell you. Honestly I was in denial for a while."

"Denial?" Ben looked up at Anakin, then felt his heart skip a beat, as if it were cracking when he remembered. "Oh, that's right…you didn't want to find…"

"Well, I was more in denial because I didn't want to disappoint you."

"Are you disappointed it's me?" Ben asked.

"No, are you disappointed it's me?"

"Are you kidding? I've dreamed of meeting you nearly my whole life! I mean, I know we don't know each other well yet, but…"

Anakin nodded. "To be honest, it scared me when you showed me your soul mark the other day. My ex had a soul mark that was very similar, but there was one detail different about gets that proved we weren't soulmates. So when I saw yours and saw that it matched mine perfectly, I panicked."

"I…didn't realize I had showed it to you." Ben said, looking down at the two marks, still not an activated bond. "…Do you want to…test it? To activate our bond if we are a match?"

"I do, but maybe we should do it after work or on break ... So we don't have any other distractions."

Ben gave an awkward laugh, "As if I could return to my work knowing that my soulmate is right at my back…"

"I just don't want us to get caught not doing work because we found out we're soulmates."

"I know," Ben sighed, "But it's still distracting."

"Yeah... Well I guess there's no harm in activating the bond."

"Are you sure? Maybe…we should just take an early lunch. I had brought a packed lunch today, but we can go out to one of the places down the street so we can have a chance to talk away from any nosy coworkers."

"Yeah, let's do that." Anakin looked at the time on his computer. "I'll go tell Windu. Then we can leave."

Ben nodded and turned around to save his work so should something happen while he was away, he wouldn't lose anything he'd done.

After saving his work, Anakin headed to the boss's office. He knocked lightly before entering. "Hey, Ben and I are taking an early lunch. We'll be back in an hour or two."

Windu looked up, his brow furrowed in confusion, "You never share your lunch break with anyone. Why so sudden?"

"It's soulmate stuff. You understand, right?"

The man blinked in surprise and leaned back in his chair, "I see, yes, of course. Just make sure you do come back to finish your work day, even if you'll have to stay later—both of you."

"Thank you. We'll be back." Anakin then left with a deep breath, and he felt himself shaking a little. He wasn't sure if it was fear or nervousness, but he figured Ben probably felt the same way, especially as he approached the cubicle again and tapped on the top of the wall.

"I got us a couple of hours free," he said to the redhead.

"The Boss must like you." Ben said, making sure he had his wallet before giving Anakin a smile and a nod, "I'm ready when you are.

"He knows I'll come back to work after lunch. Could say he trusts me, but I wouldn't go that far." Anakin pulled out his keys. "We can take my motorcycle."

Ben blinked at Anakin, his cheeks turning pink as he nodded, "I've never been on one before. You won't mind if I hold on a little tight, right?"

"Of course not. You can wear my helmet too." Anakin smiled and gestured towards the door.

"I'll probably have to get one of my own if we're going to be riding it often." Ben said as they walked away from their cubicle.

"You don't have to. I don't mind sharing my helmet."

"I'd rather us both be protected." Ben insisted.

"If you say so." Exiting the building, Anakin grabbed his helmet from the lobby where he kept it under the water of the receptionist, and he handed it to Ben. "We'll get you one that fits properly in the future."

Ben nodded and put on the helmet, tightening the straps under the chin so that it would fit more snugly before he looked at the bike.

Anakin settled onto his bike and inserted the key. He offered his hand out to Ben, his soul mark dark in the night sunlight of the day.

Ben hesitated before reaching out with his slightly trembling hand, his sleeve still rolled up so that his mark was exposed. He paused before they could touch; looking up at Anakin to make sure he wanted this.

"It's ok. We're soulmates anyways. Might as well activate the bond." Anakin smiled as he extended his hand more.

Ben nodded and lowered his hand, settling his wrist in Anakin's palm as his own fingers curled around his soulmate's wrist. Instantly as their marks made contact, he could feel a jolt, like the zap of static electricity, only it lingered, gathering in his mark for a few pulses before slowly fading away.

Anakin looked at their hands, smiling more. "So that's what it feels like... Never felt that with me ex."

Ben smiled at Anakin before he let himself be pulled onto the back of the bike, and he let go, turning his hand and wrist over to look at the change in his mark. It had bloomed in color, swirls of red against his skin in the shape of his soul mark. Glancing over at Anakin's palm, he could see the exact same design, only in a pastel bluish-purple that looked lovely against his tan skin.

Ben leaned against Anakin's back, "Wow…"

For the first time in a while, Anakin felt a sense of calm wash over him, feeling the weight of Ben on his back and the sunlight warm against them both. He smiled and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, put them on, then he started the bike.

Ben's arms slipped around his waist and pulled them tight together in a secure hug, "Don't take off too fast for my first time." The redhead shouted over the puttering of the engine.

"Don't worry, I'm not a crazy rider." Anakin chuckled to himself as he backed the bike away from the car parked in front of him, then he made a gentle take off into traffic.

Ben fell silent, enjoying the ride and trusting his soulmate to get them safely to wherever they were going for lunch.

The ride was fairly decent in terms of distance, and luckily lunch traffic wasn't terrible. It gave Anakin plenty of space to maneuver around the road as he needed. Soon they were at a small diner where their lunch was to be. Anakin parked his bike and shut off the engine, shifting so Ben could slide off easily.

Ben slipped off and removed the helmet, his hair poofing up messily around his head.

Anakin chuckled as he looked over at Ben. "Should have brought a comb or something."

"Is it bad?" Ben asked, running his fingers through his hair.

"No, just looks fluffy now instead of pristine like it usually is."

"Oh dear, seems I should get a helmet and a comb for motorcycle rides with you." Ben flushed, "Nothing I can do about it now, though."

"Nope, you have to deal with fluffy hair now." Anakin chuckled as he took the keys for his bike and slid off, leading the way inside. "Best to take the helmet inside. Never know if someone wants to steal something like that."

"Alright." Ben said, tucking it under his arm and following close behind Anakin. Once they entered, he glanced around, looking for table options. All the window seats were full, so they had to choose a stand alone table rather than a booth. Spotting Dex across the space through the order window to the kitchen, he raised his free hand, "Hey Dex!" he greeted cheerfully before nodding to a table, "How about that one, Anakin?"

"Sure, extra room to put the helmet." Anakin headed over to the table Ben nodded too, setting the keys on the table before he sat down.

Ben set the helmet down on a spare chair before sitting across from Anakin. "So, are you going to let me get to know you better or are you going to be difficult, still?"

"Well it wouldn't be fair for me to still be anti social with you."

"No, it wouldn't. And knowing you're my soulmate—well, if you did clam up again, I'd have to get annoyingly persistent with you. I'd rather this be easier for us both."

"I still can't believe that we're polar opposites, and yet the universe decided we were perfect for each other."

"They do say opposites attract to balance each other out. Maybe you need a little more sweater vests and rainy evenings with a good book, and I need more…loud music?"

"Everyone can use a little metal in their life. You just happen to get a lot of it now. You're so lucky!"

Ben chuckled, "I hope you're right on that." He paused when a waitress appeared to ask for their orders. "I'll just have my usual." He said.

"And I'll have the cheese burger with extra bacon," Anakin said. With their orders in, the blond leaned back in his chair, looking at his now colorful and pastel soul mark.

"Coming right up, boys." She said, walking away.

Ben watched Anakin for a moment, a small smile on his face, "Do you like it despite it not blending in with all your tattoos?"

"Yeah, it's a good break of smooth lines and colors from all the dark tattoos I have. Maybe I'll use more color for my next tattoo."

"Inspired? May I see your tattoos more closely?" he asked, holding his hand out to take Anakin's if the blond allowed it.

"Yeah, sure. If there's any you're curious about just ask." Anakin rested his arm in Ben's hand, looking over some of his favorite tattoos.

"Did you design all of them?" Ben asked, running his fingers over the inked skin as he looked.

"Most. A few are designed by the tattoos artists I visited."

"Well, if I were to guess, I'd say this one," he pointed to a delicate looking arrangement with flowers, "Was done by you in tribute to your mother, right?"

"Yep. It's been harder for her to be happy recently, but she went on a date the other day and she really liked the guy, so it's promising. She never found her soulmate, so you can imagine how lonely she's been, despite having me around."

"It's never too late to find someone who makes you happy—soulmate or not. Since my mom passed, my dad's been lonely but had his hands full with raising me. But he also recently started dating again and he seems much happier. I hope your mom's relationship works out."

"And I hope your dad's works out too."

"Oh, that reminds me. I won some tickets to a musical—I gave two of them to my dad to take his date, but I still have one for myself and one other person. I don't know if you're interested in musicals, but…would you want to go with me?"

"I suppose. Not a huge fan of musicals unless they're intense and not too cliché."

"I haven't seen this one, so I can't confirm much about it. But I adore musicals. My mom and dad used to take me to them when I was a kid, so I grew up with them."

Anakin shrugged. "Yeah I'll give it a try, since you invited me."

"I hope you enjoy it, then." Ben grinned.

"If it's like the few musicals I actually do enjoy, I'm sure I'll like this one."

"What ones do you enjoy?" Ben eagerly asked, leaning on the table between them.

"Heathers, Sweeney Todd, and The Devil's Carnival. The darker themes and moods I like."

"You should try Repo! The Genetic Opera. It's by the same people who did The Devil's Carnival series." Ben suggested, "Assuming you haven't seen that one yet."

"I haven't. I don't willingly watch many musicals. I'll give it a try next time I have the time."

"You…could come over to my place to watch it. I have a copy." Ben said with a smirk, "I also enjoy the darker musicals just as much as I enjoy the light ones or dramatic ones."

"I wouldn't have guessed that about you. You seem too soft for the dark stuff." Anakin smirked as he leaned forward on the table.

"Maybe I'm full of surprises."

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "How are you with horror movies?"

"Depends. Some are good, most are disappointing. I prefer a real scare, not to just be grossed out like most newer ones try to do."

"So you're not one of those who thinks that Jurassic Park is a horror movie."

"That is obviously an adventure movie."

"That's what I've been telling people for years! Even Alien isn't much of a horror movie. Now you get something like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, then we're talking." Anakin folded his arm over his chest. "My mom and I watch horror movies all the time. We're big fans."

"They spook my dad too much, so I don't get to watch them often. He's totally the guy who'd grab onto a complete stranger in the theater for comfort."

The blond laughed. "You should come over to my place and watch some of the good ones with my mom and I."

"You won't mind if I need to hold your hand or cuddle, right? I do get jumpy but I'm not as bad as my dad."

Anakin shifted a bit awkwardly. "Uh, well… Maybe when we're in an actual relationship. I mean, yeah we're soulmates, but that doesn't automatically put us in a relationship."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I was getting ahead of myself, it seems." He looked down and pulled back, "I thought it'd be like a casual date…"

"A casual date would be fine... Like a first date kind of thing where we get to know each other over scary movies and popcorn." Anakin shrugged. "Or more like a second date, since we're going to that musical."

"The musical's not for a couple weeks yet."

"Okay, so scary movies as a first date and musical as a second date?"

"Unless we end up going on more between them." Ben nodded, "But—to be clear, I should not try to hold your hand or hide into you if I get scared?"

"Not quite yet anyways. To be honest, I'm still getting used to the fact that you're my soulmate. I hope that doesn't upset you too much."

Ben was quiet as the waitress brought their food over and set it before them with a smile before leaving them alone again. He did feel upset a little; slightly rejected, even, and he couldn't deny it.

"I knew that after I found my soulmate there'd be the getting to know each other period, but I thought things like hand holding would be fine. Maybe we should just—wait on the horror night."

"Oh...okay, if you really want to. If it makes you feel better, this isn't me being uncomfortable with holding your hand specifically. After my break up with my ex, things were rough for me, and I find it hard to display affection to a romantic partner, or even my soulmate." Anakin sighed as he looked down at his food.

"It's not your fault—don't push yourself just because I let myself dream up unrealistic expectations of how this would go."

"But I don't want you to feel disappointed with me being your soulmate. It's kinda shitty of me to say I don't want physical contact yet because of my ex."

"But consent in a relationship is important, even for holding hands. I know that, but I—I've been alone for so long…"

Anakin reached across the table, palm with his soul mark facing up. "We have some things to work through, but for now we can do exactly what we did to activate the bond. It's a small step in the right direction."

"You don't think touching soul marks is more intimate than hand holding?" Ben asked in a low voice, looking at the pastel mark on Anakin's skin.

"If it's too intimate, you can hold my hand. I need to move on from my ex, because I have you now."

Ben hesitated, but then slowly slid his hand forward across the table until his wrist was settled in Anakin's palm, their marks touching and growing to a pleasant warmth that seemed to calm his unsure heart.

Anakin smiled at the warmth. "Whenever my ex and I tried to touch our marks, it never felt right. But this...this feels perfect."

"I'm kind of glad it doesn't spark like it did the first time we touched." Ben said giving a small laugh.

"Me too. This is far more comfortable, calming even."

"Yeah. It helps." Ben met his gaze and then glanced at their food, "We should start eating."

"Before people start staring, yeah." Anakin chuckled while taking his hand away so he could start eating."

Ben pulled back, glancing around the busy diner. He'd forgotten how full it was. Flushing lightly, he sipped his shake and grabbed a few of his fries.

"Don't worry, I didn't see anyone staring at us," Anakin reassured after taking a bite of his meal.

"So, do you eat here often?" Ben asked.

"Not too often. I come here usually when I'm tired after work and I know my mom isn't home."

"I see. The owner, Dex, is an old friend of the family, so my father and I both come here often."

"Huh, wonder if we were ever in here at the same time and never realized it."

"It's possible. To think we could have been so close before we met at work…"

Anakin shook his head. "We grew up together, but apart from each other. And somehow we, a couple of soulmates, managed to be living in the same area at the same time."

"Maybe it is really fate." Ben smiled.

"Maybe…" Anakin chuckled to himself while taking a bite of his burger.

"What are your plans for after work?"

"Probably just go home and hope my dad isn't there terrorizing my mom."

"Maybe you two should take out a restraining order on the man?"

"It wouldn't work. He'd still come around, and we couldn't get him arrested because he'd just pay his own bail." Anakin shook his head. "Bastard is a nuisance on both my mother and my lives."

"I'm sorry, that's a difficult issue, it seems."

"It doesn't help that he owns a large company. He keeps pushing me to be his successor on the business, though I've told him several times that I want nothing to do with his company."

"What company?" he asked.

"Empire Investments. Big financial company that's way too successful for its own good."

"Empire Investments…didn't they just have a big scandal they had to cover up? Seems I heard something on the news abut it." Ben hummed.

"Yeah, but somehow my dad managed to make everyone look over it in a matter of days

"I just can't believe it. But maybe big money can buy just about anything."

"Feels like it sometimes. It's why I think a restraining order would never work. He'd just pay the cops a lot to make them look the other way."

"So a strongly worded letter would also basically just be turned into toilet paper for him, hu?"

Anakin nodded. "I hate the guy. I can't wait for the day he dies. I'll laugh in his dead face."

"That's a bit much, why not just _not_ go to his funeral and instead have a nice time with your mom?" Ben suggested.

"If you knew half the shit he puts us through, you'd want to laugh in his face too, maybe even spit in it."

"If he does half the crap I imagine he does, then he doesn't deserve the effort it'd take to go laugh in his dead face or dance on his grave."

Anakin shrugged. "I just want him gone from my life."

"It's such a shame that he's the way he is in your life. I can't imagine not having my dad support me."

"I've had my mom for all my life. I'm used to not having a dad around."

"Well, maybe your mom will find someone special who truly loves her and he can become a father figure you deserve."

"God I sure hope so. She deserves to find her soulmate more than anything in the world."

Ben smiled, "She's lucky to have a son like you."

"I try my best to make her happy. I'm glad she went on that date though. That seemed to make her a lot happier than she's been on pretty much her whole life, at least from what I've seen."

"It is nice seeing that kind of thing."

Anakin nodded in agreement. "I'm so glad I didn't have to go my whole life seeing her miserable because of my dad."

Ben popped his last fry into his mouth and swallowed it before sighing, "Well, we should see about paying our bills so we can get back to work."

"I'll pay for everything," Anakin said as he was pulling out his wallet.

"Are you sure?" Ben asked; his hand already half-way to his back pocket.

"Yeah, don't worry about paying. My treat for discovering we're soulmates."

"Alright, but I'll pay for our next meal together."

"Deal." Anakin handed the waitress his card to pay for the meal, and when she came, he left a tip and stood up. "We've got a little more free time before we have to go back to work. Want to ride around for a bit?"

"Sure. Just be careful; only one helmet." Ben said, picking up Anakin's helmet and walking with him out of the diner.

"Of course I'll be careful. I'm not one of those stunt riders who do wheelies at highway speeds."

"I'm just making sure. I just found you; I don't want to lose you before I get the chance to know you." Ben said, pulling the helmet on.

"Don't worry, you won't lose me any time soon. Unless some freak accident happens." Anakin shrugged as he got back on his bike.

Ben climbed on behind him and settled himself into the same comfortable position as before.

"Ever been to Coruscant Park?" Anakin asked as he put the keys into the bike.

"No, I normally just go to the smaller park near where I live—I can take my cat for a walk there. She likes to watch the koi fish."

"Didn't know you had a cat." Anakin smiled. "But Coruscant Park is real nice to drive through. We can go there for a quick scenic drive before going back to work."

"Her name is Basil and she's the fluffiest little ball of sass and love. You'll love her when you meet her, I'm sure." Ben smiled, "And that sounds like a nice drive."

Anakin started up his bike and headed off towards the park, hoping to have some time to go over his thoughts while Ben enjoyed the scenic drive.

Ben didn't speak during the drive, figuring it'd be too hard to have a proper conversation while riding the bike.

The ride through the park and back to work seemed all too short. Anakin still had many questions on his mind, and nothing was going to get easier through the day. At least he would be able to tell his mom about everything. Parking the bike, Anakin sighed and shut it off, and he waited for Ben to climb off. "Back to the old grind." he muttered.

Ben nodded and handed Anakin his helmet back, "Thank you for letting me spend an early lunch with you so I won't be as distracted during work. I hope it helped you feel better, too?"

Anakin nodded. "Yeah... A little bit anyways."

"Less nervous about telling me you're my soulmate?" Ben teased as they made their way to the doors of the building.

"Of course," Anakin said with a smile. "I'm glad I finally told you we had the same soul mark."

Ben smiled and held the door for Anakin, "I'll message you my mobile number so you can call me sometime."

"That'd be nice."

The two made their way to the elevator and Ben pressed the button to call it down to the main floor. "Let me know if you want to meet up outside of work."

"I'll shoot you a text." Anakin looked up at the digital numbers just above the elevator. "We'll have to plan that movie date night sometime soon.'

"I can bake something for us to snack on." Ben agreed.

"I think my mom might love that more than I would," Anakin chuckled, pocketing his keys.

Stepping into the elevator when the doors opened, Ben pressed the button for their floor, "Are you not big on sweets?"

"Oh I am. Chocolate ice cream is my favorite, but my mom is all over sweets. She makes killer cookies."

"It'd be fun to have a bakeoff with her sometime. I'm sure you, my father, and her date would quite enjoy the outcome of that." Ben chuckled.

"Getting to eat an excessive amount of sweets? I'd be all over that."

"It'd also be a nice way for you to get to know my dad while I get to know your mom."

"I think we're starting to plan two separate nights now," Anakin said as the elevator doors opened to the floor they worked on.

"We are. Movie night at your place where I bring some treats, and then bakeoff night at mine where you'll bring your mom."

"We want to do both if these before the musical?"

"Yeah, I think it'd be nice so you are comfortable with my dad before we get stuck in the van with him. He's a big softy, but some people find him to be intimidating. He was blessed by a tree goddess or something when he was a kid."

Anakin chuckled. "It takes a lot to intimidate me. Unless your dad dresses like I do, I don't think I'll be too intimidated."

"Nah, he's more into wearing ratty old ponchos."

"Then I have no worries."

"Good." Ben smiled and stepped out of the elevator, making his way back to his desk.

Anakin followed Ben back to their shared cubicle, then he moved past to let their boss know they were back. He returned and sat heavily in his chair, sighing as he looked at his soul mark. He wondered if the color would stay bright for the rest of his life. He was so used to seeing it black and lifeless, seeing it in color was catching him off guard.

* * *

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7

Anakin felt his chest tighten a little as he entered his home, finding his mother cooking in the kitchen and filling up the whole home with a pleasing aroma. He smiled as his steps grew a bit lighter. "Hey Mom, I'm home. I've got some news for you that I think you'll like."

"Have you picked up a new sketch book to carry around so you can avoid drawing on my tables?"

"Nope." Anakin dropped his keys and wallet in the bowl next to the front door, kicked off his shoes, and headed to the kitchen. When he was next to his mother, he held out his palm for her to see his colorful soul mark.

"Then I honestly have no guesses as to what it cou—" she said, looking up from what she was working on before blinking at the familiar mark on her son's hand that just looked so different now that it had bloomed to life. "…You activated your bond?"

"Yeah, I did. It's so colorful now…"

"Ani." She smiled and moved around the counter to pull him into a hug, "How'd it go?"

"Not too bad actually. He wasn't disappointed like I thought he was going to be."

"I knew he wouldn't be. Finding your soulmate is just so special."

"Well, he was disappointed a little when he remembered that I had said I would have been happy to go my whole life without my soulmate, but of course that opinion of mine changed when I discovered that my soulmate was working in the same cubicle as me."

"You and your big mouth." She chuckled, guiding him to the table to sit down with her. "But I'm surprised you're here and not using this time after work to get to know him a bit."

"We had an extended lunch together today. We're already planning future dates."

"Good for you." She grinned, "I can't wait to meet him."

"Our first date will be here. We're gonna watch some scary movies, and he's bringing snacks."

"Oh, that sounds fun. You'll have someone to hold onto when things get spooky." She teased.

"Right, more like the other way around. He even asked if he could hold onto me in some of the scarier parts."

"That doesn't mean you can't pretend a little as an excuse to hold his hand."

Anakin shrugged. "I think I need to get to know him a little more before I want to hold his hand."

His mother blinked at him, "You…aren't going to hold his hand?"

"I mean I will eventually. But just because we're soulmates doesn't mean we're automatically in a relationship. I mean we have to get to know each other first. We have to know what we like and what we don't like." Anakin sighed.

"True, but they say touching your soulmate is calming, and hand holding is the most basic touch."

"I guess. I'm just not used to the idea of soulmates who are actually meant to be your soulmate."

"Padmé was a lovely young woman, but she wasn't meant for you, and you weren't meant for her. It's not your fault that things didn't work out…"

"But it's my fault I chose to go out with her anyways. I was too stubborn, and that ended our relationship in a way I didn't want it to."

"And this nice young man you have wanting to hold your hand now isn't Padmé. Do you really want to be stubborn with him not holding your hand because of how things ended with Padmé? It seems to me that it's the same mistake, just with a different skin. It's okay to hold his hand while you get to know him. It's the kissing that you should wait for the right moment for."

Anakin flinched slightly. "Okay... You make a valid point."

"It's okay to let yourself be happy—and this young man can make you happy if you let him." She soothed, running her fingers gently over the back of Anakin's hand.

"I suppose it's just a bit scary to me... Finally finding my soulmate after dealing with bad relationships on the past, including yours with my dad."

"Does he seem like the kind of man your father is? Or are you worried you'll end up being like your father?"

"The latter. I know I'm better than him, but still. I don't want to turn out to be an asshole."

"Oh, my little Ani-Bannani…" She smiled and cupped his face, "You are nothing like that man. You never have been, and you never will be. You are _my_ boy, and I know I raised you to be a good, respectful, and loving young man. I have so much faith in you I couldn't begin to contain it if I wanted to."

Anakin smiled and leaned into his mother. "Thanks Mom."

"Any time." She kissed his cheek, "You know what might be nice? Take your soulmate some flowers tomorrow. The guy I've been seeing actually owns a flower shop. Maybe stop by there on your way to work."

"I might do that. He did bring me food the other day, so it's high time I brought him something."

"That's the spirit. It'll help bring you two closer together in getting to know each other—and brighten up your cubicle a bit."

"Our cubicle isn't that bad. I've thrown away a lot of the cups since he arrived."

"You didn't take care of your trash before he started working there?"

"I threw out some of it..."

Shmi shook her head with a knowing smirk before standing up and moving to check on dinner, "Well I hope you're hungry, I made sheppard's pie."

"Of course I'm hungry. I had an early lunch anyways." Anakin smiled.

"Good thing it's done then. Set the table, please." She said, grabbing oven mitts to take the pie out of the oven.

 

* * *

 

Ben waited by a display of tulips as Qui-Gon helped a customer with her order. As he waited, he busied himself with rearranging the display of potted flowers as it was obvious that customers had shuffled things around and his father had not yet had the chance to fix things.

"Thank you very much, my wife will love these." The customer smiled, paying for the flowers and gathering them in her arms before walking out of the little shop.

"Have a good day," Qui-Gon called after her with a smile before turning to Ben and moving over to help him. "Sorry, I hope you weren't working for too long on your own."

"I was mostly just waiting for you to be done, figured I'd make myself useful while I waited." Ben admitted.

"Ah, well thank you. So how way your day at work?"

"Distracting. I had a hard time concentrating after I took my lunch break." He answered, pinching a dead leaf off a flower.

"Oh? Was it your brooding friend at work that was distracting you?"

"Actually, yes." Ben sighed, keeping busy with the flowers around him.

"You don't sound too thrilled," Qui-Gon said, shifting pots around. "Did he yell at you or something?"

"No." He pinched off a few more dead leaves in silence before he finally looked up at his father and he pulled his sleeve up his arm.

Qui-Gon looked down at his son's arm, and his eyes widened. "Ben... You found your soulmate today?" The excitement in the older man's voice was growing quickly.

"Yeah, and I don't know how I feel about it—I mean, I'm excited, of course, but he's so…reluctant and confusing. He's said he doesn't want to find his soulmate, and he's known I was his match for at least a few days, but he also said he wouldn't mind getting to know me and we talked about a few dates to do just that but then he also doesn't want to hold hands, even in private like when we watch a movie on one date idea we discussed…and I don't know if I'm being rejected or not. I'm trying to be okay with how he wants things to be, but…it's hard."

"He doesn't want to hold hands? I don't think I've heard of a soulmate behaving like that. I mean usually when you find your soulmate it's an instant connection and you want to do things like hold hands."

"I know I just don't understand—I try to, but…maybe he is disappointed that his soulmate is someone like me…"

"I sure hope not. You've waited your whole life to meet him, and he doesn't want you? I'm going to talk to him if he keeps this behavior up."

Ben let out a small laugh, "He says he won't be afraid of you because you don't dress like him. Think you could change his opinion on that?"

"If he's not going to take my son as his soulmate, I can definitely change his opinion."

"I'd rather him want to be with me because I'm me, not because my father  makes him want me shotgun-wedding style."

"Ben, if he's your soulmate, you can' just let him leave as he pleases. You have to keep him, make sure he knows you want him. You can't just let something like this pass you by."

"I can't force him to want to be with me, soulmate or not."

Qui-Gon sighed. "You're right, but still. He's your soulmate! You activated your bond with him. He has to stay."

All I can do it try to get to know him and hope he likes me enough to stay." Ben shook his head, "If he leaves, then I have to move on…"

"I sure hope he stays for you, Ben... I can't bear to see you if he does leave."

"I hope it won't come to that I—I know how hard it could be—you lost mom, and I saw how it affected you… We don't have an emotional bond yet but our soul bond is active so if he's to walk away I can imagine it'd be…" he shook his head and leaned against a table, looking down at his shoes, "They say those who find their soulmate but end up separated can be susceptible to depression…"

Qui-Gon moved to put an arm around his son. "Know that I'm here for you if the worst happens."

"I know dad, I just…wish I knew how he actually feels about all this so I can let myself relax or brace myself for watching him walk away."

"Talk to him as soon as possible. I hope things go smoothly, but I really don't want to see your heart get broken the day after you meet your soulmate."

"I gave him my number—but he hasn't given me his…all I can do is wait or try at work. We did have lunch together today but that's how I found out he doesn't want to try hand holding."

"Hopefully he'll come around in time."

"I hope so." He leaned against his father a moment longer before sighing, "Well, Basil's probably at the door demanding her dinner. I should go make sure she gets it."

"Yes, I'm sure she needs her love and attention from you for the day. She can help put your mind at ease." Qui-Gon smiled.

"Yeah." He gave a small smile and pulled back, "I'll also heat us up some dinner, so don't be too slow closing up shop."

"Don't worry; I'm not that slow yet." Qui-Gon chuckled as he finished up reorganizing things.

Nodding, Ben left the flower shop and went to spend time with his cat and heat up leftovers.

 

* * *

 

Anakin honestly had no idea what kind of flowers to get Ben. He knew some flowers meant things, but he had no clue what those meanings were. He'd picked out a flower just because he thought it looked pretty, not for its meaning. So he hoped that whoever ran the flower shop he was going into knew the language of flowers better than he did. As he walked in he was overwhelmed with the floral scent iconic to a flower shop. He looked around at some of the bouquets for a little bit, unsure if any of the arrangements would fit Ben's personality. Eventually he found himself at the front desk, still unsure of what to get his new soulmate.

"Can I help you?" the rather tall man with long, graying brown hair and a matching beard asked, looking up from a list he had written down—likely custom orders he had to do that day.

"Yeah, I'd like to get some flowers for my soulmate, but I don't know the first thing about flower meanings. I need help picking the right bouquet for him."

"Is there a message you'd like to convey with these flowers?" the man smiled gently.

Anakin shrugged. "I don't know, I guess that despite my past and what I've said to him, I want to try this whole soulmate thing out. We just activated out bond yesterday, and it went a bit rocky, since I've only had bad experiences in the past with soulmates."

"You had a soulmate before? Multiple soulmates are very rare…"

"No, I had a girlfriend who's soulmark was very similar to mine, but it had a few differences, so we ended up breaking it off."

"Ah, I see. Well, now that you have found your true soulmate you should find things will feel a lot more natural, not that growing to love someone who isn't a soulmate can't feel natural. I've had the pleasure of experiencing both. One years ago, and one is currently happening." He chuckled before moving out from behind the counter to look for inspiration for the flowers. "Are you looking for a bouquet or something potted that will last longer?"

"Well I was looking for a bouquet... But now I think I want a potted plant."

"Alright, right this way." The man showed Anakin over to where the potted plants were on display, "So you met your soulmate just yesterday and already put your foot in your mouth?"

"Yeah, I told him before that I'd be fine going my whole life without finding my true soulmate, and I said that before I discovered he was my soulmate. So of course it was brought up in conversation, even though I told him that previous statement I made didn't apply any more."

"I see…" The man studied him for a while, seeming to take in his clothing and the hint of tattoos poking out from under the sleeve on one arm. Then he nodded, "These," he turned to a display of orchids, I can put together an arrangement for you with them. White for humility as a way to say you're sorry, and add some blue for rarity of a soulmate, or yellow for new beginnings…"

Anakin nodded. "Definitely want to add the white. Can we add the blue and yellow together without it meaning anything bad?"

"Yes, we can do that." He said, gathering flowers, "Over there is a selection of pots. Go ahead and choose one you like."

Moving over to the pots, Anakin browsed the selections, trying to pick out ones that might compliment the flowers' colors or matched Ben's personality. In the end, he picked one that had dark colors, but they matched the flowers quite well.

Once Anakin brought the chosen pot over, the flower shop owner got to work, adding soil, plant food, and carefully transplanting a few flowers of each color into it in a nice arrangement with some nice little fern type plants at the base to complete the look.

"How's this?"

"Looks perfect. Hopefully this will make it up to him." Anakin smiled as he looked at the owner. "How much do I owe you?"

The man made some calculations and slid the bill across for Anakin to look at.

Agreeing with the bill, Anakin paid for the flowers, then he took them out to his mother's car, which he had borrowed for the day so the flowers wouldn't be destroyed on their way to work. It was earlier than Anakin usually went into work, but hoping Ben was there already, he would show up early with flowers, and hopefully that would show Ben that he wanted to have a proper relationship as soulmates.

 

* * *

 

Ben chuckled as he sipped his morning tea, leaning back in his chair as he looked up at two of his coworkers who had approached him. "We had an early lunch together yesterday, yes. It's not uncommon for coworkers to share a lunch." He shrugged, setting his mug down on the coaster he had to protect his desk.

"How did you even manage to get him to go to lunch though?  He never wants to eat with anyone, at least he hasn't in the past," Adi said as she leaned against the top of the cubicle's wall.

"I asked nicely." The redhead shrugged.

"Really? That's all it took? Man, you two must be really hitting it off with each other."

"Well, maybe he just likes those brownies I made so he's hoping I bring more in sometime." He shrugged.

"Maybe food is the way to his heart," Kit said with a smile.

"Maybe. They do say the way to a man's heart is through the stomach. But I simply enjoy baking."

"Maybe you should bake for him a little more. Make him more social."

The main doors to the office opened and in walked Anakin, catching the attentions of Kit and Adi. The blond had paused at the door, giving the other two the chance to return to their cubicles before Anakin made his way through the office. Thankfully no one really looked his way, not noticing the flowers he had for his cubicle partner.

Arriving at the cubicle, Anakin set down his keys and coffee cup, then he set the flowers down on Ben's desk, just to the side so they wouldn't be knocked over accidentally.

Ben blinked at the flowers, and then looked up at Anakin, "Orchids?"

Anakin nodded. "I know a few things I said were a bit... harsh for the situation. All those things about not wanting a soulmate were true for before I discovered you were my soulmate. Now that I know my soulmate is here by my side almost every day... Well it's impossible not to think that having a proper relationship wouldn't be so bad." Anakin shifted things on Ben's desk to sit on the edge with a sigh. "I wanted to apologize for getting your hopes up and then letting you down with what I had said before. So I hope these flowers can make it up to you at least a little bit."

Ben hummed and touched a delicate flower peddle. "Then is it safe to say these were chosen for meaning and not because you thought they looked cool? White for humility, blue for rarity—I'm guessing because of our soul marks, and yellow for…is it friendship or a new beginning?"

"New beginning. I know we've only had our bond activated for a short time, but I want to start over."

Ben gave a small smile and started to lean forward, reaching out before he paused, "Is it okay?" he asked.

Anakin paused only slightly before nodding. "Yeah, go ahead."

Ben's smile brightened as he closed the rest of the distance between their hands, taking Anakin's in his own and giving it a little squeeze. "Thank you."

The blond smiled. It was a gentle smile, one that rarely popped up, and it made him look almost like a completely different person. With his smile growing bigger, Anakin squeezed Ben's hand back.  "To be honest, I had some help coming up with flowers, because I knew flowers had meanings, but I'm completely clueless when it comes to the meanings. Luckily the shop owner knew what flowers and colors to pick out."

"Flower shop owners know their plants." Ben agreed, "I only know about flowers and their meanings because my father is one."

"Yeah, I only know the meanings of the flowers I got you," Anakin said with a chuckle. "I guess I could learn more from you later on."

"Well, just so you know, if I ever send you petunias, then you're in trouble." Ben smirked, "They mean resentment and anger. There are other flowers that can also mean that but there's no mistaking them for another meaning."

"Hopefully I don't mess up so bad that you send me petunias then."

"Hopefully." Ben squeezed his hand again. "Would you like to do something after work today?"

"Sure. I have my mom's car today, but if you want we can go for another ride after dropping off the car. Maybe we'll get you a helmet."

"That sounds nice. Then I'll be prepared for riding with you any time. I also started carrying a comb in my pocket after yesterday."

"We can go on longer rides too with your own helmet. That'll be nice for when we want to get away on vacation or have a weekend to ourselves far away from here."

"That sounds lovely—as long as it doesn't start to rain." Ben chuckled.

"Rain would be the least of our worries on the bike, as long as we have proper gear and an experienced rider, rain will just be a minor inconvenience."

"I'm not fond of being cold and wet when I can be warm and dry." Ben shrugged, leaning back in his seat again, "And what's proper gear for rain on a bike?"

"Whatever keeps the water out. Usually there's waterproof jackets and pants you can get, but I usually just settle for my padded jacket and pants. Keeps me pretty dry anyways."

"I see. I'll have to look around for something I like that will also keep me dry. Though I'd still prefer it not to rain on us."

Anakin nodded. "Fair enough. Being suddenly caught in the rain isn't any fun," he said, chuckling.

"So does your mom drive your bike when you use her car?"

"Yeah, or she walks. Depending on her mood for the day and if the weather is nice. We used to have two bikes and no car, but mom needed a car for her coffee shop, so she sold her bike and bought a car."

"She runs a coffee shop?"

"Yeah, little local one. It's where I get all my coffee from."

Ben glanced at the simple coffee cup Anakin had brought in. "I'm now imagining a biker coffee shop. Lots of big tattooed guys with beards and leather."

"That probably exists somewhere. Though I don't think I'd fit in. Maybe with the dark colors and music choice, but that's about it."

"So that's not the kind of coffee shop your biker mom runs?"

"Nah, she just runs a regular coffee shop. She gets quite a few regulars if I remember right, not counting myself of course."

"So I won't stick out like a sore thumb in a sweater vest if I go there?"

"Nope, you'll fit in quite well with the regulars," Anakin said with a smirk.

"Good to know. How's your mom's tea, do you know?"

"Supposed to be the best in town."

"You'll have to take me there sometime."

"Definitely will. I'll show you the table I like to doodle on. Mom doesn't like it too much, but it adds character to the table."

"Come to think of it…I was recently at a cute little café with my dad. We sat at a table that was covered in drawings and doodles…"

Anakin shrugged. "Maybe you went to my mom's café."

"Maybe. If so, my dad formed a bit of a crush on one of the baristas working there."

"Really? Well, there's not many older baristas working there... Maybe you dad is crushing on my mom."

"Well, he asked the lady out and they went on their first date last Friday."

"My mom went on a first date last Friday as well."

"…I think my dad's dating your mom…" Ben blinked.

"Talk about awkward situations."

"Yeah, I hope it doesn't get weird. She makes my dad happy, and it's been so long so I don't want things to get awkward…"

"Same with my mom. She's never met her actual soulmate, and even if your dad isn't hers, he still makes her a lot happier than she's been my whole life. I would hate for something to get in the way of her happiness."

"It was hard on my dad when we lost my mom. I'm just happy he's ready to open up to another woman. So, for their happiness, let's do our best to ignore the awkwardness of the situation." Ben decided.

Anakin nodded in agreement. "Not to sound rude to them, but at least they're not soulmates. That would have made things even more awkward."

"Yeah…we could have been brothers then…"

"Which would be weird since we're soulmates." Anakin shook his head.

"Which we likely wouldn't be as siblings, but it's hard to imagine you as not being my soulmate now that I know you are."

Sliding off the desk, Anakin hummed lightly. "I guess we should just not worry too much about it. They both know we're soulmates, so they'd want to make us as happy as they can."

"True. We'll all figure it out, I'm sure."

"Yeah. Anyways, I figured some potted flowers would last longer and look nicer for our cubicle, so I hope you like them."

"I do love them, thank you." Ben smiled, taking the flowers and moving them into the window so they'd get plenty of light.

"Good, I'm glad." Anakin finally sat down at his desk and started up his computer, sipping his coffee as he waited for it to boot up.

"Let me know if you want to share our lunch hour together again." Ben said, turning to his own work.

"Sounds like a good idea. You wanna pick the place this time?"

"Yes, I can do that." Ben nodded.

"Cool, lunch at noon then?"

"Sounds good. We'll talk more then." The redhead smiled, glancing back at Anakin.

* * *

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8

"Mom, got a moment to talk?" Anakin tapped on the front counter of his mother's café, his fingers itching to grab the nearby Sharpie and draw.

"Of course, just let me finish up this order." She said, glancing up from the hot drink she was making.

"Don't worry, I won't be long," Anakin said as he watched his mother work.

She finished the drink and called out the order name, handing it to the customer who stepped forward to take it. Then she turned to her son, "Okay, I'm all yours until another customer needs me."

"Cool, I just wanted to trade you keys. Ben and I want to go on another ride, and we're gonna get him a helmet."

"Oh that sounds like a lovely little date. The keys to your bike is in the front pocket of my purse in the back room. Go ahead and switch them with my car keys."

"Thanks." The blond popped around the counter and into the back room to switch keys, then he kissed his mother's cheek. "Love you, see you at home later."

"You better tell me how your date goes!" she called out after him, causing a few patrons to look at him.

Anakin tossed the bike keys to himself a couple times, handing over the helmet he had grabbed to Ben, who had been waiting outside for him to return. "Let's go get you a helmet before we go on that ride."

Ben nodded and hurried to put the helmet on, "I hope they come in colors other than black."

"Oh yeah, helmets come in all colors and designs. You'll have no problem finding one you'll want."

The two got onto the bike once more and headed off towards the motorcycle shop. It wasn't too crowded since it was towards the end of the work day, so they wouldn't be bothered by anyone other than the shop owners while looking for the right helmet for Ben. It was clear the owners knew Anakin quite well, as they greeted him by name when he and Ben walked in. They made a beeline for the wall in the back of the shop that was covered in helmets from ceiling to floor.

"You have a wide choice here," Anakin said as he gestured to the helmets. "Pick one you like and we'll see if they have the correct size for you."

Humming to himself in thought, Ben moved in front of the display, his eyes roaming over all the helmets. There were plain ones, some with random designs, and some with recognizable influence from different popular movies and shows. But then he spotted one a little different than the rest in shape, and he picked it up, turning it over in his hands. It was painted to look like the head of a cat and had two triangular shapes coming out the top that made up the ears.

Anakin raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Fond of that one?"

"Yes, though I think it'd spook my cat if I suddenly walked into my apartment with it on." He laughed.

"It is a unique design. If that one's calling your name, get it."

"I think I will if it comes in my size." Ben nodded.

“Well, try it on then. If it feels like your cheeks are being squeezed to your mouth and nose, it’s too small.”

"And if it wiggles around then it's too big?" Ben asked, using his fingers to comb his hair back out of his face before he pulled the helmet on.

“Yep.” Anakin watched, ready to assist if needed as Ben put the helmet on. “How does it feel?”

"I think it's on the too tight side?" Ben said.

Anakin moved closer and felt around the base of the helmet, sticking a finger in some places, or at least trying to. “Yeah, it’s a bit tight.” He turned to face the shop owner and called out to him. “Hey Rex, got this helmet in a size bigger?”

The owner, Rex, turned away from talking to who was most likely his brother, and looked at the helmet. “I think we do, but I don’t get many sizes for that one. Let me go see what I have.”

"Thank you." Ben said, pulling the helmet off and setting it back in its place before he shook his hair back out of his face.

Rex returned shortly with two helmets in hand. "These are the only others I have for that helmet. See if one of them fits you better." He handed one to Ben and the other to Anakin.

Ben took the helmet and slipped it on, checking the fit. "This one feels a lot better, I think."

Anakin started checking around the helmet again, being much happier with how it was fitting. "Yeah, this one fits pretty close to how it's supposed to."

Ben nodded and took it off again, setting it on the counter, "Then I'll buy this one. How much do I owe?" he asked, turning to Rex.

"Let's go for 70," Rex said, moving to ring up the bill for the helmet.

Ben nodded and dug out his wallet so he could hand over his card for payment.

After the transaction was made, Anakin thanked Rex and promised to text him later as he and Ben walked out of the shop. Anakin put his own helmet on and showed Ben how to tighten the chin strap so that it fit him as best as possible.

"Ready to test out your new helmet?" the blond asked once they were both ready to get back on the bike.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Ben nodded.

"Good, we can go a little faster today." Anakin smiled, though it was hard to see through his polarized visor, and he climbed into the bike, waiting for Ben to hop on.

Ben slipped behind Anakin and hugged his middle, "Okay, let's go for a ride."

Nodding, Anakin started up the bike and took off. With Ben having his own helmet now, the blond allowed himself to go a little faster than normal since they both had helmets on. Anakin even leaned a little more on the turns, getting the thrill he usually had while riding by himself.

Ben held on tighter than he had on previous rides they had shared, but it didn't seem a bad thing as Anakin thought he could hear a bit of laughter under the rumbling of the motor and whooshing of the wind.

Anakin smiled through most of the ride, and he decided to stop in the large park near a small body of water. Not many people were there, so it was a good place to stop and just enjoy the view.

Flipping his visor up, Ben rested his chin on the edge of Anakin's shoulder, their helmets bumping against each other, "That was a thrilling ride."

"Yeah?" Anakin chuckled. "I guess I'll have to take you other places soon."

"Or just for rides around town."

"You'll get rides around town. Love cruising around at night, though it's a bit more dangerous of course. People don't look for motorcycles are much during the night as they should."

"I dislike driving, but drivers should always be alert and watching for what's on the road." Ben hummed.

"Yeah, kinda disappointing to see a lot of people on their phones while they drive. Makes me nervous when I see one while I'm riding."

"Very understandable." Ben nodded.

Anakin shrugged, making Ben's head move and their helmets bang together again. "Can't make everyone a good driver. All I can do is make sure I'm not as bad as they are."

"That's true." Ben nodded, "But it's still fun to ride, bad car drivers aside."

"Oh yeah, I love it." Anakin smiled and sat back, careful of Ben's head.

"So," Ben sat back and took off his helmet, "want to go for a walk by the water?"

"Sure," Anakin replied as he too took off his helmet.

"Great. Do we leave or take our helmets?"

"Your helmet is band new, I'd take it with you."

"Got it." He nodded, talking it with him as he slipped off the bike.

Anakin pulled out the kick stand and let the bike rest as he got off, then he took his helmet off. He shook his head and messed with his hair a little before heading towards the water.

Falling into step next to his soulmate, Ben let there hands bump a few times before he gently took Anakin's hand.

The action was weird for Anakin, but only in the sense that he hadn't held someone's hand for a long time, and he had almost forgotten how good it felt. He didn't let his hesitation show however, because he tightened his grip on Ben's hand, letting the redhead know it was okay.

Ben relaxed and smiled as they continued to walk hand in hand, "Thank you for not pushing me away."

Anakin shrugged. “Figured it wasn’t nice of me to reject hand holding twice.”

"I appreciate that."

"Gotta be decent to my soulmate at least a couple times," Anakin said with a chuckle.

"And hopefully more once we get to know each other better."

"Don't worry, I won't be mean to you all the time."

"And I will reward you with baked goods once in a while." Ben smiled.

"I could definitely go for some more of those brownies."

"I'll consider that next time I bake."

"You and my mom should swap recipes at some point. She makes some pretty good brownies as well."

"I'd love to try them sometime."

“Maybe I can convince her to make some for our movie night date.”

"Wonderful   I'll make cookies for variety."

"I'm sure my mom will want to make some too."

"We are going to end the movie so fat we can't get off the couch." Ben joked.

Anakin laughed. "I wouldn't rule that possibility out."

"We'll just have to live there."

"I already live there, so I'd be fine with it."

"You live on the couch?"

"No, I have my own bedroom. It's small, but it do have my own."

"Well, that's a relief. I was imagining you sleeping on the couch with all your clothes as your bedding."

"I don't live like a teenager, at least not anymore I don't. I've grown up a bit."

"That's good to hear, though if you ever looked in my bedroom, it still has those little plastic glow in the dark stars stuck to the ceiling." Ben chuckled.

“Man, those things were so cool. I never had them, but I’ve always wanted some. Something about looking up at the stars at night just…I don’t know. It makes me feel happy.”

"You can come over for a sleep over—or we can look at the real things one night…just go outside the city so we can see better and just watch the sky."

“Maybe we should go camping some time. We can take the bike out with everything strapped to it, and spend a night looking up at the stars.”

"I think that would be absolutely lovely." Ben smiled.

“We need to keep track of all these date ideas, or I’m going to forget most of them,” Anakin said with a smile.

"Should we start a date planner? Like the one I keep for work, only…for only date stuff."

“That might be a good idea.” Anakin squeezed Ben’s hand tighter. “I know I’ve apologized sort of already… but I’m sorry for kinda putting you off to start with. I was just scared of what might happen with a real soulmate I guess.”

"I'll pick one up for us and keep it in our cubicle so we both can reference it at any time." Ben said before pulling Anakin to a stop and stepping to face him, their hands still linked, "And what happens with a real soulmate is just this. Spending time together and taking each step in turn together—as equals. No rushing anything like our first kiss or anything like that. When we are ready for that, then it will happen. But until then, we have this." He wiggled their linked hands slightly.

Anakin smiled. "I wish I could explain to you how different this feels compared to how it felt with my ex. The two experiences, they're like polar opposites. And this experience..." Anakin brought Ben's hand up to his lips and kissed pale knuckles gently. "This feels so much better this time."

Ben's cheeks burned, the redness creeping over his nose and ears from his cheeks.

"I uh, I never dated before, but I had a crush on a girl as a teenager. We did start to explore together and held hands, but nothing came of it and then vacation was over, I went home and never heard from her again. I don't remember how it felt to hold her hand, I just remember thinking she was beautiful and…" he shook his head, "But this is different, feeling your fingers entwined with mine…"

"This is what two souls coming together as one feels like..."

Ben nodded, "A feeling we can only feel together. Something special."

"Forgive me if I'm being too bold here, but..." Anakin set his helmet on the ground, then took his free hand and cupped the back on Ben's neck with it, and using that grip he pulled the older man closer until their faces were centimeters apart. He closed even that distance between them and pressed a kiss to Ben's lips. Anakin had kissed his ex before, and it felt nothing like what it felt like to kiss Ben. Night and day, polar opposites, nothing alike.

Ben's eyes widened before fluttering closed, his hand moving  to Anakin's hip, though he still held his helmet as he let himself get lost in the feel of soft lips against his own, leaving a slight, pleasant tingle in them.

Anakin made a noise when Ben's helmet bumped against his hip, but even so, he didn't hesitate to be even bolder and deepen the kiss slightly. His hand on Ben's neck moved lower to the redhead's back, strong hands keeping him in place.

Letting go of Anakin's hand, Ben slipped his arm up over his shoulder, embracing the blond back as their lips grew hungrier.

Despite wanting to keep going, and feeling himself grow excited, Anakin pulled back to end the kiss, biting his lip as he backed up a little. "I should probably take you home before it gets too late..."

"…Yeah…" the redhead muttered, catching his breath before he chuckled and rested his forehead on Anakin's collarbone, "I really didn't expect that but it was more than nice."

Anakin wrapped his arms around been and hugged him, letting out a sigh. "It was nice... I didn't expect myself to go further."

"I won't be opposed to kissing again, but," he peaked up at Anakin, "Don't feel pressured to do so just because we have had our first kiss already."

"Of course." Anakin bent down to pick up his helmet. "Anyways, let's head back. I don't want to worry your dad too much."

"Would you like to come inside to formally meet him before heading home?" Ben asked as they made their way back to the bike.

"Sure, I'd like to meet the man who is possibly dating my mom."

 

* * *

 

Eventually the two made their way to Ben's home, and Anakin had to admit to himself he did feel a little sad about leaving Ben for the night. Knowing that Ben was his actual soulmate, as well as finally feeling what it was like to have his real soulmate, Anakin didn't want to wait until the next day to see him again. Still, they weren't that far in their relationship. One step at a time, he told himself as he parked his bike and turned it off, making sure Ben was off the bike before he got off and pocketed the keys.

"Looks like dad closed up shop already." Ben said, taking off his helmet and looking at the closed flower shop before looking up to the apartment above it, seeing the lights on. He took Anakin's hand and smiled, "That's good. He won't be busy."

Anakin took off his helmet as Ben led him inside and up to the apartment. "I hope I won't be intruding."

"You won't be. If anything, he'll insist you stay for dinner. Of course, you don't have to if you are expected to eat with your mom." Ben said, leading him up the steps to the apartment door.

"I don't think I'll stay for dinner tonight if I'm invited. Too short a notice on my mom, plus I don't know if my dad will stop by for a visit."

Ben nodded, "Dad will  invite you, knowing him, but you're free to go whenever." Ben opened the door and let Anakin in first before calling out, "Dad? I'm home!"

There was a little jingle and Basil came rushing over from where she had been lazing on the couch, mewing as she rubbed against Ben's legs. He smiled and set down his helmet before picking her up, "Yes, Daddy's home!" he cooed at her before turning to Anakin, "This is Basil."

"Hello, Basil." Anakin smiled as he pet the cat.

The cat lifted her head, sniffing his fingers before purring and rubbing her cheek against his hand affectionately.

"She doesn't normally take to strangers so quickly." Ben smiled, watching his cat interact with his soulmate.

"Maybe she knows we're soulmates."

"Animals do sense things humans can not." Ben agreed, kissing the top of Basil's head before setting her down, laughing when she marched over to her bowl, "Did you not get dinner yet, or are you being a sneaky little furball?"

"She was fed already," Qui-Gon said, coming around the corner to greet his son. "Oh you brought a friend home."

"I knew it you little sneak." Ben smirked at his cat before looking up at his father, "Yes, my soulmate, actually. Anakin, this is my father, Qui-Gon, Dad, this is Anakin."

"You were the one to come I to my flower shop this morning," Qui-Gon said. "And you're Ben's soulmate?"

Anakin turned to Ben with slightly pink cheeks. "I guess I bought those flowers from your dad..."

"I thought I recognized the pot." Ben chuckled, "Anakin gave me those flowers this morning, and then after work we went for a ride on his motorcycle to a park."

"Well I'd say the flowers worked then." Qui-Gon chuckled as he looked back at Anakin. "I'm glad my son decided to accept your apology. Otherwise I don't think he'd be very happy with you."

Anakin shrugged. "I'm not used to being around real soulmates. My mom was lured in by an older man who made her think he cared for her, and I had an ex that I was sure had the same mark as me, but there was a slight difference. Knowing that my real soulmate just walked into my life, I knew I had to apologize for the way I behaved before."

"We can hold hands now." Ben said, opening a jar and fishing out a couple cookies to share.

"Yeah, I decided I actually wanted to hold your hand." Anakin chuckled.

"As long as you two are finally getting along with each other," Qui-Gon said. "It sounded like for a while it was difficult to communicate."

"Well, we seem to be communicating better now—in fact, we think we have discovered that you're dating his mom." Ben said, handing a cookie to his father, and Anakin, each.

Qui-Gon tilted his head. "Shmi Skywalker? The owner of that little café?"

Anakin nodded. "That's my mom. You made her really happy the other night. That's the happiest I've ever seen her."

"That's lovely to hear, she also made me quite happy."

Anakin smiled. "That makes me feel really good, actually. She's never really been happy since she's never met her soulmate. I kept hoping she'd find them, but even she gave up on looking."

"It'll make our double date to the musical an interesting one." Ben said, sitting on a stool and biting into his cookie, only to have Basil hop up onto his lap.

"Yes, I hope you like musicals, Anakin. I know I suggested Ben ask you, but I suppose I didn't really think about if you liked musicals or not." Qui-Gon shrugged.

"There's only a few I like," Anakin replied. "But I agreed to go to this one because Ben offered."

"And I'm sure in turn he'll drag me to one of his concerts." Ben said, "But it's nice to share our interests with each other."

"I'm _absolutely_ taking you to a concert. You have to have that experience before you die."

"And I'm not sure if the music is my style, but I know I'll have fun with you when we go." The redhead nodded.

"You'll like it, I promise." Anakin took a bite of his cookie.

"What kind of music are you into?" Qui-Gon asked Anakin as he moved to grab some glasses to pour milk into.

"Metal, heavy rock. Can't stand much if the modern pop stuff that plays on the radio all the time."

"Still very different than the classical and oldies I listen to." Ben said, patting the stool next to him for Anakin to sit down.

Anakin did sit down in the stool he was offered. "Maybe there's a few oldies I like that you might like."

"It's possible. I have a lot of records in my room we can look through sometime."

"You can look through some of my records as well," Qui-Gon said while pouring milk, then he offered the glasses to Ben and Anakin.

"Definitely will have to do that," Anakin said as he took his glass of milk.

Ben picked up his glass, holding it up away from Basil's curious nose, knowing she would drink it if he let her. She mewed in protest at not having access to the milk, and then she tried climbing over into Anakin's lap to try for his.

Anakin held his glass in the air with a smile. "Persistent kitty."

"She also likes to try to steal anything that involves cheese, popcorn, or tuna." Ben chuckled, "She keeps us on our toes when we have food."

"Mew!" Basil persisted, stretching up with her front paws on Anakin's chest to try to get the milk.

"Looks like she really wants my milk." Anakin chuckled as he attempted to push away the cat.

Ben set his glass down and got up, taking his cat into his arms and carrying her over to her cat tree, hoping the catnip-filled toy that was sitting on it would be enough of a distraction for her not to run back over to beg. Then he returned, "Sorry, normally she doesn’t bother new people for their food.

"It's fine. At least she's liking me."

"That is true. She could hate you." Ben chuckled, taking a drink of his milk.

"Luckily she doesn't. She'll be seeing a lot more of me." Anakin watched Basil as he drank his milk.

"That cat is a handful," Qui-Gon said. "But she's the most lovable cat I've ever known."

"Dad's always been a plant guy, but Basil has made him a fan of cats." Ben explained.

"I'm more of a dog guy, but I like cats too," Anakin said.

"Do you have dogs?"

"Had one when I was younger, but we don't have a dog now. My dad doesn't like dogs, and we try not to upset him too much when he comes over despite hating his guts."

Ben pursed his lips, "Get a puppy. Preferably one that likes cats. Honestly, your father doesn't have the right to control you at all now that you are an adult. So if you like dogs, then get a dog."

"Maybe I'll go to the shelter sometime..." Anakin shrugged.

"You should at least take a look to see if you connect with any of the dogs in need of a good home." Ben nodded.

"If I could adopt all the dogs, I would. I hate leaving the shelter empty-handed."

Ben blinked at him before smiling, "Yup, you may be perfect."

Anakin chuckled. "You have a completely different opinion of me now than when you first met me."

"Ben doesn't like being ignored when he tries to introduce himself to someone new, but he has a huge soft spot for all animals." Qui-Gon said, stealing another cookie from the jar.

"I was kinda rude that first day he was there." Anakin shrugged. "But yeah I love dogs. Most animals, really."

"Well, if you do get one, I'd love to meet them." Ben smiled.

"I was thinking you could come with me to the shelter when I do get one."

"If you want me to, then I will be happy to. Probably should take your mom's car, though. Not your bike unless you have a side car the pup could sit in."

"Nah, we'd take the car. Wouldn't want to out the new pup in danger." Anakin finished his glass of milk and moved to stand up. "Anyways, I should probably get home."

"You can stay for dinner if you like," Qui-Gon said. "You wouldn't be a bother."

"I would love to stay, but I don't like to give my mom short notices of things. It's best I go home for dinner tonight. Thank you for the offer though."

"Well, anytime you're here, you're more than welcome to stay for a hot meal." Qui-Gon took Anakin's empty glass and placed it in the kitchen sink to be washed.

"I'll walk you down to your bike." Ben said, also getting up.

Anakin nodded. “Nice to meet you, Qui-Gon,” he called over his shoulder.

“And it was nice to meet you too, Anakin,” the older man replied with a smile before going about preparing dinner.

Ben held the door for Anakin, closing it after he stepped out onto the balcony landing. "And now you know my family."

“Thanks for introducing me to your dad. Nice to know we confirmed our parents are dating.” Anakin chuckled.

"Yeah, and now you know better if you like the guy who is dating your mom." Ben chuckled back, taking Anakin's hand in his.

"I do like him. He's not at all intimidating."

"Well, you did buy me flowers from him, so he was nicer to you." Ben joked as they moved down the steps and over to the parking lot where Anakin's bike sat.

"Man I feel kinda awkward buying flowers for you from your own dad. But he's the best florist around, and I needed someone who knew flower language far better than I do."

"Don't worry about it. I still love the flowers, and they really brighten up our cubicle no matter where they came from. But as my father's son, I do appreciate the support for my father's little business."

"Yeah, I hate big business. Probably because of my dad, but most are just bad. If I have a choice between local and big business, I almost always go local." Anakin sighed as they stopped in front of his bike. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow at work..."

"I'm sure I'll be there first, waiting for you to come in." Ben smiled before leaning in to press a quick kiss to Anakin's cheek, "Goodnight."

"Night." Anakin smiled as he threw on his helmet, and before long he was speeding away on his bike, the loud engine heard well after he was out of sight.

Ben waited, watching until Anakin was out of sight before sighing and heading back inside.

 

* * *

 

Shmi sighed, shifting the curtains to the side a crack to look out, hoping to catch a glimpse of a motorcycle pulling in the drive. She wasn't worried, but she was excited to hear more from her son about how the date had gone—whether or not Anakin counted it as a date, it was a date.

Seeing nothing she pulled back and moved back to the kitchen to check on dinner.

Just as she went back to cooking, Anakin's bike could be heard turning into the street, and then a few moments later, he pulled into the driveway and parked. The blond walked in the front door a minute later.

"I'm home," he called out as he hung his keys by the front door.

"Welcome home, how was your date?" she called back with a smile.

Anakin smiled as he set his helmet down in the table next to the door. "Ben got a new helmet, then we went to the big pond in the park and walked around there for a bit."

"That sounds like a lovely time. Did you eat anything?" Shmi asked, "I made food just in case, but if you aren't hungry, that's fine."

"I just had a cookie at Ben's place when I dropped him off, so I could eat."

"Well, I made some breaded pork steak and beans." She said, "And I'll share it with you in exchange for some more details about your evening?"

"I'll take that wager." Anakin chuckled as he entered the kitchen.

Nodding, Shmi took out plates and silverware, placing them on the table before getting their dinner out of the oven.

"So, we held hands tonight," Anakin said as he helped his mother. "We hadn't really done it before in a casual way, like without activating our soul bind or anything like that."

"How was it?"

"It was... Nice. And it was completely different to when I was with Padmé."

Nodding, she sat down and began to fill her plate, "I bet he enjoyed being able to hold your hand."

"He grabbed my hand first actually, but I didn't pull away from it. The flowers I got him this morning worked as an apology."

"That's good. I take it you had some good help choosing flowers this morning?"

"Yeah, from who I found out is the guy you're dating and is Ben's dad."

"Wait, Your soulmate is my date's son?"

Anakin nodded. "Qui-Gon is Ben's dad."

"That—isn't going to be too weird for you and Ben, is it? Having your parents date?"

"We're not gonna think about it too much. We both want you two to be happy."

"Alright—but if that changes—I want you to be happy and comfortable with Ben." Shmi said, patting his hand from across the table.

"Don't worry, we're already pretty comfortable with each other." Anakin smiled as he looked down at the table. "I, uh... Kissed him today by the water."

Shmi looked up at him, "I didn't expect that so soon."

"Honestly, I didn't either, but the way I was feeling when he held my hand, walked beside me, talked with me... It felt like nothing I had felt before. I had to make a move."

"Sounds like you really like this young man—are even falling for him."

"When I first met him I didn't really like him, but once I figured out he was my soulmate, it was like my whole perspective on him changed."

"What made you not like him at first?" his mother asked curiously.

“He was way too extraverted for my liking that first day he was my cubicle partner.” Anakin laughed softly to himself. “I was rather rude to him… and that wasn’t even that long ago.”

"And, what is he like now that you know him better?"

“Soft, passionate about his work and his community.”

"And handsome, no doubt."

“His hair is so red, Mom. It’s like it’s on fire when he’s in the sunlight. He’s got freckles all over too, and his soul mark on his wrist is so striking against his pale skin now.” Anakin opened his palm and looked down at his own soul mark, touching it lightly, wondering if Ben could feel where he touched on the same spot on his mark.

"Well, I think it's safe to say you're completely smitten." She sat back with a smile.

"Never thought the day would come where I was head over heels for someone."

"My little baby boy growing up and falling in love. Ah, my dream come true." Shmi chuckled.

Anakin's expression softened. "You know I still want you to find love too. That's my dream come true." He squeezed his mother's hands with an expression that was a mix of sadness and slight worry.

"Ani, don't worry about me. I'm happy where I am right now. I have a wonderful son, I enjoy my job, and I had a wonderful first date with Qui-Gon. He may not be my soulmate, but I'm happy."

"Still, you and your soulmate have gone your whole lives without each other. Not to put Qui-Gon on the sideline, but..." Anakin shook his head. "I just wish I could find your soulmate for you."

"Most people never do find their soulmates. And I'm fine with just being with someone who makes me happy and treats me right. Bonus points if he can tell your father to get out of my life."

"Did he visit the café today?"

"At lunch." She nodded, "Brought me flowers, too."

Anakin rolled his eyes. 'What did he want from us this time?"

"Oh—you meant your father—I was talking about Qui-Gon!" Shmi flushed in embarrassment, "No, your father didn't show his face, but I ignored his call when his number popped up on my phone's ID."

"Ah, okay good. I hope he gives up trying to talk to us soon. I don't think I can stand to see him again without punching him in the face."

"You know how he is, Ani, you know how he is until he gets his way."

"He's not going to get his way with us any more. I won't allow it, and if he gets upset at that, too bad. We both make a decent amount of money to live off of, we don't need his help."

"We don't need him, no, but he's not just going to leave us be."

Anakin sighed. "I wish he would just not come around any more. I don't want to be reminded of what he looks like."

"I know." She reached across to rub his cheek with her thumb, "And I count the little blessing that you look more like my father than yours. Looking at you, there's nothing that makes you look like your father's son."

"Good. I don't want to look like that old bastard anyways." Anakin sighed. "I can't believe he still wants me to take over his company. I don't like big companies like his. Why would he even think I'd want to run his company one day?"

"Because as much as he didn't want to have a kid, he's realized he can't live forever, and he doesn't want his company to go to the highest bidder. He wants it to stay in his family name—and even though you carry my last name, you are still a Palpatine through blood." She sighed, "He'd be most unhappy with his company went to his former partner and current rival Yan Dooku."

"If Dooku is better than him, give the company away to him. I'm sure there's something about the company being left to us in Palpatine's will."

"To you, dear, not me. And if he does leave you the company, then it's your choice on what to do with it."

"If he left it to me, I'm counting you in that as well, whether he likes it or not."

"I'm still leaving it up to you on what to do with any of the inheritance you may get from that man." She shook her head.

"If I get anything. If I piss him off enough, I may get lucky and get nothing of his disgusting inheritance."

"Well, he doesn't care for the whole soulmate thing, and you have found your soulmate, so that’s in your favor."

Anakin nodded and sighed once more. "Oh by the way, Ben and I want to have a movie night date here some time, and I told him you'd be willing to swap some recipes with him."

"Of course. Anything in particular you want me to make to show off for your date?"

"Cookies, brownies, anything sweet I guess. I'm sure he'll like anything you make, and you already know I do." Anakin chuckled.

"I'll choose a few to make." She nodded.

"We should probably settle on a date for that. We wanted to watch some of the good scary movies, not the cheesy ones."

"Maybe this weekend would be a good time to do that."

"I'll have to see if that works with him."

"Of course. And if so, then maybe I can make plans with Qui-Gon so you two can have time to yourselves."

"I think Qui-Gon would like that. You and him get some time together while Ben and I get our time together."

"Exactly. Ask Ben tomorrow and if he agrees with it being this weekend, I'll call Qui-Gon to set up a night for us on the same day."

Anakin nodded. "Okay, I think we've waited long enough to eat," he said with a smile.

"Yes, yes, eat up."

* * *

To be continued…


	9. Chapter 9

The weekend ended up working great for the movie date, and both Shmi and Anakin were hard at work all day long preparing snacks for the evening until they both had to dress better for their dates. When Shmi had left, Anakin got to work making sure everything was ready for when Ben finally came over. After a while, a knock on the door finally came, and Anakin went to let in his soulmate with a smile.

"I've got everything set up, so you don't have to worry about anything other than where to place your snacks." Anakin gestured to the living room of his home as he welcomed Ben inside, the coffee table in front of the TV filled with baked goods and salty snacks along with fizzy drinks.

"I uh, got a bit carried away." Ben said, holding up a chocolate pie, along with the plate of brownies and cookies he'd baked.

"That's okay, so did my mom and I," Anakin chuckled. "I don't think we're going to eat everything tonight."

"Maybe not." Ben smiled, taking the baked goods to the table by the couch and taking in the pile of folded blankets and a few pillows that had been brought out.

"I figured we'd be out here for a while, so blankets and pillows were brought out. But before we get started I'll give you a quick tour of the place." Anakin gestured for Ben to follow him to the kitchen to start.

Nodding, Ben followed, using his fingers to brush his hair out of his face.

"So obviously the kitchen, drinking glasses are in this cupboard in case you want to grab some water or something," the blond started, taking Ben through the home. "Over here is the bathroom, the master bedroom and my bedroom. You saw the living room next to the front door, and yeah, that's pretty much it."

"It's a nice place."

"It's small, but it's home. Mom and I get along just fine here." Anakin smiled as he led his soulmate back to the living room. "Make yourself at home. Sorry I don't have a cat or dog you can cuddle with."

"That's okay. I could always cuddle with a pillow if I need to grab something other than your hand, out of fear." Ben chuckled. "Mind if I draw the drapes so it's dark for our spookathon?"

"Go right ahead, the darker the better."

Ben closed the drapes before settling in on the couch, taking the blankets and pillows to arrange them comfortably.

When Ben had situated himself to where he wanted to be, Anakin sat down next to him and grabbed a blanket to share, then he grabbed the remote for the DVD player and started the first scary movie of the date. "How well do you do with scary movies again?"

"Not very, but I quite enjoy it." Ben chuckled, patting the pillow he had placed in his lap, "That's why I made sure to grab a pillow to cling to and hide in."

"You've got me too to grab if you need. I've seen this movie a dozen times so I know what's coming."

"You sure? Before you didn't want that."

"I kissed you earlier this week," Anakin pointed out.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you're okay with me clinging to you today."

"Well I'm okay with it today."

"Good to know." Ben smiled, shifting to lean more against Anakin.

Anakin grabbed a couple brownies before throwing the blanket he had over both himself and Ben, and he handed the redhead one of the brownies. He settled deeper into the couch before diverting his attention to the movie.

Smiling, Ben settled in, wondering how long he'd last before the movie started to get to him.

Anakin made hardly any reactions to the scarier scenes in the movie, but he had seen it so many times that the jump scares never got to him. Occasionally he would glance over at Ben to check on him, and each time he squeezed the redhead's hand to keep him rooted in reality.

Ben kept jumping a little more each time until finally he let out a scream and practically jumped into Anakin's lap, clinging to him with wide eyes.

Anakin couldn't help but laugh as Ben clung to him. "It's alright," he reassured his soulmate.

"Sorry…" Ben flushed, looking from the TV to Anakin.

"No need to apologize. I knew you were going to react strongly to that jump scare." Anakin smiled as he moved to rest his free hand on Ben's thigh.

"I was trying to impress you by not jumping this badly." Ben laughed, only to jump again slightly when the movie made a sudden banging noise.

"You already impressed me by not jumping at the first few scares. But now you're on edge and you jump at everything."

"Seems that way, doesn't it?" Ben chuckled nervously before resting his forehead on Anakin's.

Anakin took in a slow breath as he closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. "Don't worry," he muttered, his attention moving away from the movie to his soulmate.

"I'm not worried…" Ben whispered back.

Anakin's hand moved slightly up the other's leg as Ben talked. "No need for you to be worried."

"I'm really not…jumpy, yes, but not worried." Ben muttered, tilting his head so that his lips brushed against Anakin's.

Not wanting to talk anymore, Anakin kissed Ben softly as his hand continued to move up the redhead's thigh at a slow pace.

Ben's hands slid up Anakin's arms and over his shoulders until his fingers were tangled loosely in golden curls.

The movie was pretty much forgotten as the two started to make out on the couch, their hands wandering to new places that they hadn't dared touch weeks before. Anakin knew in the back of his mind that he was getting excited, but he tried not to let himself lose all control to his desires. Besides, his mother could walk in at any moment and catch them. Going all the way wasn't entirely an option for either of them.

A pillow fell to the floor as the two shifted, Ben finding himself pinned down to the couch by his soulmate, and he wasn't going to complain at the greedy hands cupping his rear or the hungry lips that had drifted from his mouth to his neck, fully distracting him from the screams of the movie they had meant to be watching.

Anakin had a knee between Ben's legs, pressing in close to the redhead's groin as his kissing became almost aggressive. He had a hand up underneath Ben's shirt, feeling every inch of pale skin like Ben was a god to be worshiped. Anakin kept his dominance clear with how he held Ben down and touched him.

"Anakin…" Ben moaned, shifting under Anakin, a rather obvious bulge making itself known. He slid his arms down, fingers catching the hem of a black t-shirt that supported the logo of some band Ben didn't know, and then he tugged it upwards just enough to make it clear he was asking if it could be removed.

Ben's silent question got the answer he wanted, and Anakin pulled back to remove his shirt and show off his own growing erection restrained by the jeans Anakin wore as part of his everyday outfits.

"Wow…" Ben ran his fingers over Anakin's abs, admiring how built the artist was.

Anakin grabbed Ben's wrists and moved his hands down, giving the redhead an intense look filled with desire and a fiery passion burning just beneath his skin. His stunning blue eyes were unblinking as he started at Ben.

"Why on Earth are you so beautiful..?" Ben murmured, using his free hand to prop himself up to kiss Anakin's collarbone.

"Because my looks didn't take after my dad," Anakin replied with a rough tone. He rolled his hips forward while tilting his head to the side.

"That was supposed to be rhetorical." Ben chuckled, breathily.

"Hey, at least I don't look like my dad. I'd be a lot uglier." Anakin smirked as he moved Ben's hand to rest on his groin.

Ben's response caught in his throat and he looked down at where his hand was, and back up at Anakin, his pale cheeks exploding in color, "O-oh?"

Anakin made a gesture that said "go on, touch it" while he kept his intense gaze on Ben. He didn't want to go all the way just yet, but he was going to get damn close if Ben was comfortable with it.

"I've never—I mean, with another—I have with myself but… Are you sure?"

"Only if you're comfortable with it."

Ben nodded and sucked in a breath before taking back his hand and pulling off his sweater vest, then unbuttoned and removed his blouse so that he, too, was just as exposed as Anakin was. "Perhaps for a little bit—and if you do the same…"

Anakin let out a little groan as his response.

"Ready?"

"Do it," Anakin said, pushing his hips closer to Ben.

"Kiss me." Ben countered, hooking one hand around the back of Anakin's neck to pull him down into a kiss, his other hand moving slower to Anakin's crotch to tease at his bulge through the fabric of his pants.

Anakin kissed Ben fiercely as he was touched, his own hands moving to grab Ben's hips to keep him in place while they kissed. His pants only grew tighter the longer they kissed and touched each other, and eventually one of Anakin's hands moved to the redhead's groin to give him the same treatment he was receiving.

Moaning into the kiss, Ben pressed up against Anakin, grinding against his hand.

Anakin moved his hand up and down Ben's clothed erection, itching to grind up against him without hands between them. Moaning louder, Ben shifted his leg, wrapping it around Anakin to hold him in place as he began to roll his hips into Anakin's touches more—only to freeze at the shrill sound of a doorbell that was quite obviously not part of the movie they were watching.

Surprised by the sudden doorbell, Anakin paused, waiting for something to happen that confirmed that they did indeed hear the doorbell ring.

The bell rang again a moment later, and Ben seemed to deflate under his soulmate, sinking into the couch with a sigh, "Seems someone's at the door…"

"It better not be who I think it is." Anakin grabbed his shirt off the floor and threw it on before going to answer door. A cross expression fell over his face.

"Wait, who do you think it is?" Ben asked, throwing on his blouse and starting to button it up as he followed Anakin to the door and finding an older man standing on the step wearing a rather expensive suit.

"What the fuck do you want?" Anakin hissed at the older man. "I thought I told you to not come back."

"Your mother hasn't been answering my calls." The man said, stepping past Anakin into the house as if he belonged there. "Who's this?"

"None of your business," Anakin said as he moved to block his father from going any further. "And Mom isn't here, so go away."

"Then I'll speak to you directly, my boy." He said, looking Anakin up and down in disapproval, "…Why do you still dress like a teenage delinquent?"

"Why are you still here?" Anakin countered.

"Because you're my son and you clearly need my guidance."

"No I don't, now get out! You're running my evening."

"What, don't want me interrupting a study session with the messy-haired nerd? You aren't in school anymore, Anakin."

"I know, and I graduated with a degree in art. But you don't see that as a real degree still, right? All you care about is big business, so get off of my house before I make you."

"Come now, my boy, you know how to end all these unpleasantries. Come take your rightful place, and I can leave your mother alone and you can pursue your arts and crafts during your free time."

"No! I'm not going to take over your company, not now, not ever, so you can stop making your offers because it's not going to happen."

"Don't be so stubborn. I'm sure even your friend here would—"

"I would only support my soulmate in following his dreams, which are clearly not doing what you want him to do." Ben interrupted, crossing his arms."

"Soulmate?" the man gasped at the redhead, "No, clearly not. You're a man. Ani, whatever happened to that lovely young woman? Miss Amidala, I believe. She was a much better match."

"Don't you dare suggest that," Anakin threatened, stepping closer to Palpatine. "Padmé wasn't my soulmate. Our marks didn't match exactly."

"Oh come on, marks are just glorified birthmarks, Anakin. They don't _mean_ anything. Besides, you can't start running around with another man like some pervert. You need a woman who can give you a good strong male heir to our family line."

"No, fuck you! You don't know shit about soulmates and marks because you lured my mom in and tricked her into thinking you were hers. You caused a lot of grief for her, and now she doesn't even want to find her real soulmate because of you!" Anakin crossed his arms over his chest. "It doesn't matter what gender your soulmate is. Love is love, and being a homophobic piece of shit will get you nowhere in life. Most everyone has accepted that guys can be with guys and girls can be with girls, but it's shitheads like you that make some people dread finding their soulmate because they don't want to be ridiculed. So fuck off with your homophobic bullshit and get out of my home. Now."

"Anakin—"

"Has asked you multiple times to leave his property." Ben interrupted, a clearly annoyed look upon his face, "If you do not adhere to his request then force will be used."

"Why don't you just run along and find some other pervert to sink your dick into. My son will not be caught dead with any men who have forgotten what men are supposed to be."

Ben's face turned red and he snapped out; "Anakin, hold the door." He then grabbed onto Sheev, easily manhandling him towards the door despite being the shortest man in the room. Ben gave a final shove once the old man was in the doorframe and he slammed the door shut, flipping the locks. "AND DON'T COME BACK!"

Anakin stood near the now closed door, honestly a bit stunned by Ben's actions, but he wasn't going to complain. "Thank you..."

"I've decided I rather hate your father" Ben huffed, leaning against the door and taking a deep breath to try calming himself.

"Congratulations, you now have the same opinion about him as my mom and I."

Ben glanced up at Anakin, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Most encounters with him end up the same way, honestly."

Sighing, the redhead shifted closer to Anakin and reached up to touch his cheek, "Let's try to forget about him and all the horrible things he said. We have lots of sweets in the other room we can enjoy."

"Yeah..." Anakin sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck while he headed back to the couch. He was a bit worried his father would try to come back in, but he tried not to think about it too much. He was on a date after all.

Ben moved to the kitchen and grabbed plates, forks, and a butter knife, then he joined Anakin on the couch, cutting into the pie he'd brought and serving it, giving Anakin a generous piece.

"Thanks. You made this, right?"

"Yes, my mom's and my recipe we perfected together when I was a kid."

Anakin took a bite and instantly smiled. "Wow, this is so good. How long did it take you to perfect the recipe?"

"About two years before we declared it perfect." Ben laughed, "My dad didn't complain about having chocolate pie every single week even a little."

"That's a lot of pie," Anakin chuckled. "But I've had my fair share of eating the same sweets for weeks on end. Mom loves to bake quite a bit."

"And now you will have your mom's sweets and my sweets constantly. You may lose those sexy abs of yours."

"Nah, I work out enough to keep them." Anakin flushed slightly. "So uh... what happened before my dad came. You were okay with that? I know it was a spur of the moment thing but..."

"I didn't come over expecting any of that but I certainly didn't hate it, either."

"Well that's good to hear. I wasn't expecting it to happen either, but... I guess we know we're pretty comfortable with each other already."

"Father has told me that soulmate relationships tend to grow faster than average ones, and I think we are already seeing that is true with us."

Anakin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's not been very long since we activated our soul bond."

"And yet here we are snogging on the couch like teenagers." Ben chuckled.

Anakin shrugged. "I guess since the moment was right, it just felt natural to happen."

"I'm not complaining. It didn't feel like we were forcing ourselves to do it."

"I just wanted to know if it felt like we were rushing to get to that kind of stuff."

"Well, we haven't eloped at all so…" Ben smiled.

Anakin smiled back and looked back at the TV, watching the movie play for a few minutes, eating his pie until his piece was gone. He set his plate down, and after a bit of thought, put his arm around Ben.

The redhead responded to the touch by snuggling in closer, knees pulled up with his plate balanced on them, only a few bites of pie left.

"I'm glad I decided that I wanted my soulmate after all," the blond said with a smile.

"I'm glad mine didn't reject me." Ben said, taking another bite of his pie before setting the plate and fork aside.

"He would have been a terrible person if he did, and he couldn't live with that guilt on his life."

"And I would have gone on wondering why I'm not good enough." Ben lifted Anakin's hand and pressed a kiss to his soul mark.

"You are more than good enough, just so you know. You're more than I deserve, especially after how I treated you when we first met."

"Well, based on how you stared at me, I'm guessing that Mister Windu didn't tell you about me before my first day, and so I was just some strange man who suddenly showed up in your cubicle."

"Yeah, he doesn't really communicate with me that much unless there's an assignment he wants me to work on."

"Well, it's in the past now, as just as those flowers represent, we have our new beginning."

"I'm glad you gave me a second chance. Once I knew you were my soulmate, it was hard for me not to freak out around you." Anakin chuckled to himself.

"Cutie." Ben looked at the TV, finding the ending credits rolling, "Should we attempt a second movie?"

"I don't know. I honestly kinda just want to cuddle, maybe put on a more relaxing movie," Anakin suggested.

"Relaxing…how about something Disney? Just a nice movie for background noise and a few great songs?"

"Sure... I need to check to see if we have any Disney movies. It's been a while since I've seen one."

"So I take it that if you do have any, they'll be the classics?" Ben smiled.

"Most likely, yes," Anakin said as he got up from the couch to look at his and his mother's movie collection. "We do like the occasional family movie over the scary movies."

Ben waited, readjusting the blankets and pillows again for when Anakin rejoined him.

After picking a movie, Anakin returned to the couch with a sigh, grabbing a couple cookies for the two of them to share as they watched the new movie. "Lucky us we do have a few Disney movies."

"Perfect for cuddling and snacking on cookies." Ben smiled, taking a cookie from Anakin and snuggling into him.

"It's like the only appropriate thing to do during a Disney movie."

 

* * *

 

"That's strange, why's the door locked?" Shmi hummed as she fished out her keys to unlock the front door. Anakin and Ben couldn't have left, both the bike and the car was still parked in the drive.

"Maybe they just wanted to be undisturbed," Qui-Gon suggested as he waited for Shmi to unlock the door.

"Or they worked themselves up with too many scary movies." Shmi said, unlocking the door and pushing it open. The faint sound of a Disney movie's menu repeating itself making it's way to her ears. She set her purse down and gestured for Qui-Gon to follow her as she moved to look into the living room.

On the couch lay the young couple, quietly asleep in each other's arms, the movie quite forgotten.

Qui-Gon followed, and upon seeing his son with his soulmate, he smiled. "Looks like movies tired them out," he whispered quietly.

"Should we wake them or let them sleep?"

"I say let them sleep. I don't think it would do to have them wake up to their parents watching them."

"In that case, would you like to stay the night? You can use Anakin's bed as he's clearly not using it. I'll make waffles in the morning."

"I suppose if he doesn't wake up in the middle of the night and decide to go to his bed... I wouldn't be opposed to staying the night."

"I get the feeling if he does wake up tonight, he'll choose to stay on the couch with Ben. They look so comfortable." She said, shifting one of the blankets up over the boys more before turning off the TV.

"Must have been a really nice date if they fell asleep on the couch." Qui-Gon chuckled as he moved away from the sleeping soulmates so as to not accidentally disturb them.

"They certainly are growing comfortable with each other." She nodded, picking up Ben's sweater vest and draping it over the back of the couch before starting to gather plates of baked goods to take to the kitchen, "That pie looks divine. Want to share some with me before we turn in?"

"Absolutely. That pie's recipe was perfected by Ben and his mother for years.  It's the best pie I've ever had."

"Help grab some of these plates, and I'll serve us some, then." She smiled, carrying her load into the kitchen.

Nodding and helping move items to the kitchen, Qui-Gon made sure he was extra quiet. He knew how his son slept, but knowing how Anakin slept was not in his collection of knowledge. When everything was moved, Qui-Gon waited as Shmi dished the both of them a piece of pie.

Shmi slid a plate and fork over to Qui-Gon before sitting down with her own, "Is Ben usually a heavy sleeper, or does he wake easily?"

"He tends to stay asleep during the night. I don't catch him waking up much when I have to stay up late in the shop." Qui-Gon took a bite of the pie and smiled.

"Then I won't worry too much in the morning when I start to make breakfast." She said before trying the pie, "Oh! This is so good."

"I told you, one of the best pies you'll ever eat."

"It's enough to make my pies jealous." She chuckled.

"I bet your pies are just as good. Next time you make one you should let me know."

"My fruit pies, maybe, but my chocolate pies never turn out quite as well as I'd like." She shrugged, "I'm fine with leaving the chocolate pies to your son to bake."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind sharing his recipe, though don't take my word on that of course. It is his recipe after all. I had nothing to do with the creation of it."

"Maybe I'll ask after Ben and my Ani gets married—if they decide that's right for them, of course. Me being officially family may soften him up to the idea of sharing a recipe that he worked so hard on with his mother."

"Who knows, maybe he'll share it before marriage happens."

"Maybe." She looked up at him, "I had a nice time tonight."

"I did too," Qui-Gon said with a smile. "I can't wait to have another date with you."

"We'll have to plan another one soon."

"Definitely." Qui-gon looked down at his clothes. "Maybe I should have brought an extra set of clothes. "I hope your son doesn't mind me sleeping in his room."

"He'll be fine with it. I'm sure the only man who could sleep anywhere under this roof that could get my son upset would be his father."

"Good thing he isn't here then."

"I wish I could say he's never here." She sighed, "He's just so controlling, and he wants Ani to join him in running his big business, so he keeps showing up unannounced."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "Big business owners never seem to care about what others feel and want. It's all about them and their money, and that's why I hate them."

"He wanted nothing to do with Ani other than being able to write him off as a tax break when he was a kid, and now…" she shook her head, "I don't know why he's so surprised that Ani wants nothing to do with him or his big business fortune."

"Sounds like he wasn't around much when Anakin was growing up."

"Only just enough for him to be able to get what he wanted." She sighed.

The man shook his head again. "If we had known each other back then, I would have helped you deal with him, hands down."

"Could you imagine if our kids had found each other when they were actual kids?"

"I imagine they wouldn't have had a rocky start," Qui-Gon said with a chuckle.

"No, but as young adults we'd have to watch them closely to make sure they were making mature choices with each other. They are adults now, so it's fine for them to go at whatever speed they are comfortable with, but…"

Qui-Gon shrugged. "Ben is a smart boy, and he knows his limits. Even if they met when they were younger, I'm sure Ben would have kept everything in line."

"Are you sure? We both know how young love can be. And how it's easy to forget yourself when you have it."

Qui-Gon chuckled and nodded. "Oh yes, if Anakin would have tried anything, Ben would have set him straight. Not that Anakin would have tried anything."

"You have such faith in your son." She laughed.

"I know he was raised right, so I know he'll behave properly. He did for the most part as he was growing up."

"No crazy teenage rebellion years?"

"Oh he had at least one rebellious year. But it wasn't bad. He never went out and did drugs or slept with anyone or got into trouble with the law."

"What did he do?"

"Mainly just stayed out with friends longer than what I wanted him to."

"That's not too bad compared to most teens."

"No, he was a good kid most of the time, thankfully."

"Ani was certainly a handful."

"Not to assume anything about your son, but I get the feeling he was quite rebellious."

"Yes, but never in the 'Mom, I hate you' sort of way. He was pretty consistently a loving son—to me at least. Not so much his father."

"Understandable, from what you told me. At least both our boys have grown out of their rebellion."

Shmi hummed in agreement, glancing at the two sleeping peacefully on the couch in the next room, "They are rather cute together, don't you think?"

Qui-Gon chuckled. "They are.  I can't believe they ended up working in the same place, to be honest."

Sometimes fate likes to play games." She chuckled.

"I suppose so. It's almost too convenient that they started working at the same company."

"Ani's been there for a few years now. He got an internship there during college, and after he graduated he was offered an illustration job."

"How nice! Ben worked at the library for a long time before he decided he wanted to follow a new passion."

"And just like that our boys found each other." She chuckled.

"I'm glad they did. I was worried for a bit Ben wouldn't find his soulmate."

"Ani did say Ben seemed the romantic type who puts a lot of faith in soul marks."

"Yes, he's very much like both his parents. Ben is a real romantic."

"Ani was a bit of one when he was younger, but then he had a pretty bad breakup that really hurt his faith in relationships."

"Oh, that's too bad. Was he just trying out a relationship to see what it was like?"

"He hoped she was his soulmate, actually. He was convinced she was. He called her his angel."

Qui-Gon cringed a little. "Ouch. I bet he was devastated after the breakup."

"Very much so. So much so that when he found out about Ben, he was afraid, and half trying to convince himself that Ben wasn't his match."

"Poor guy. I'm glad he decided to take Ben as his soulmate."

"Me, too. He needs love in his life other than mine."

"Then it's a good thing my Ben started working where he works." Qui-Gon chuckled. "I'm happy for them."

"Very happy." Shmi smiled before sighing, "Well, if you're done, I'll show you to Ani's room so you can turn in for the night."

"Yes, thank you." Qui-Gon stood up, grabbing his and Shmi's empty plates and taking them to the sink.

She nodded and put the pie away before showing him to her son's room. "Goodnight, Qui-Gon."

"Goodnight, Shmi."

She smiled and gave his hand a squeeze before turning to go to her own room across the hall.

* * *

To be continued…


	10. Chapter 10

With a sleepy groan, Ben shifted, the smell of breakfast coaxing him into further consciousness.

Breakfast?

His father never cooked in the morning. It was always surgery cereals when he woke up before Ben.

Confused, he reached up to rub his eyes as he sat up, feeling arms tug at his middle when he moved, which only added to his confusion. Looking down, his face flushed as he realized he was still on Anakin's couch—with Anakin clinging to him like an oversized teddy.

"Someone is finally awake," a soft voice said. "Did you sleep well last night?"

Ben jumped a little, turning to see his father sitting in a recliner, "Dad?"

Qui-Gon chuckled. "Good morning. You and Anakin were asleep when his mother and I got here, so we just decided for me to stay the night."

"I didn't realize we had drifted off…" Ben looked down at Anakin and gently brushed curls out of his face, "You could have awoken us."

"Well, you two were sleeping quite well, and I didn't want to wake you up to take you away from your soulmate. It was just better for me to stay the night here."

"Sorry, I didn't plan this. I guess it was just too comfortable snuggling up with him last night."

"Nothing wrong with that." Qui-Gon smiled. "Breakfast is ready by the way. Shmi got up and made waffles for us."

"Anakin still seems deep in Slumberland, and I am not sure he'll let go if I try to get up."

"I can bring some to you if you want, or you can wait until he wakes up." Qui-Gon shrugged. "Or you could just wake him up."

"I suppose there's one thing I could try… Let's not let a hundred years pass us by, Sleeping Beauty." Ben said, leaning down and kissing Anakin."

There was a moment of silence before the sleeping blond made a noise and shifted slightly.

"Your mom made breakfast."

Anakin took in a huge breath and let it out slowly, then he cracked his eyes open and squinted as light filled his vision. He looked up at Ben and closed his eyes again.

"Good morning, Prince Charming."

"Too early," Anakin grumbled, trying to hide into the couch so he wouldn't have to get up.

"Well okay, but will you at least let go of me so I can go eat waffles?"

The blond dramatically threw his hands back, burying his face in the couch.

"Don't worry; I won't go far, silly." Ben teased, tucking the blanket around Anakin before getting up and stretching with a groan. "Okay, I'll be in a moment. Bathroom." He told his father as he turned towards the room in question.

Qui-Gon got up and moved to the kitchen, pausing briefly to look at Anakin and chuckle. "Your son seems like he's having a difficult time waking up," he said to Shmi as he approached her in the kitchen.

"That can happen on the weekends. He can get really dramatic if you try to wake him up, too." Shmi chuckled, plating some of the waffles.

"Glad I got to witness that," he said and laughed.

Anakin sat up on the couch with a groan, his hair messy from sleep and his clothes tangled around his body. He stretched and groaned again, waking up little by little.

Ben didn't have his toothbrush with him, so he swished some water in his mouth just to freshen things up a little before he left the bathroom, aiming for the kitchen and the promise of breakfast.

"You look a little more awake now," Qui-Gon said as his son entered the kitchen. "Fresh waffles for breakfast, and I'm sure Shmi is making plenty, so have as many as you want."

"I do feel more refreshed." Ben said before looking over at Shmi, "I'm sorry for any inconvenience for staying the night without prior plans to do so."

She huffed, "Not at all! Just have a seat and enjoy your breakfast!"

Anakin yawned as he walked into the kitchen and made his way over to a plate of waffles. He put some butter on them before pouring syrup all over his plate.

"Well, look who's up." Shmi said, pouring glasses of milk for everyone, "I didn't expect you up quite yet."

"Me either," Anakin replied, "but I was told food was ready."

"Maybe I should have Ben come wake you up every weekend morning. He seems to be good at it." Shmi chuckled, sitting down at the table in the spot between Qui-Gon and Anakin.

"I could have slept longer," Anakin argued as he started eating.

"So you don't want to see Ben more often?" Shmi asked.

Anakin shot a look at his mother. "You know that's not what I meant," he said through a mouth full of waffles.

She only gave him a teasing smile back, "So, I noticed you two had switched to Disney movies last night. Was the horror flicks too much for you two?"

Anakin shook his head, a disappointed look coming across his face. "Dad came over last night in the middle of our date."

"That man, I swear…" Shmi almost cursed.

"After we got him to leave we just wanted some feel-good cuddle time so we switched to a movie that wouldn't make me jump out of my skin." Ben nodded.

"Ben quite literally threw him out of the house," Anakin added casually.

Ben flushed, "Well, Anakin asked him to leave multiple times, and he was being very homophobic and disrespectful."

"I'm honestly surprised he wasn't still here when you two got here," Anakin said to his mother and Qui-Gon.

"We, uh, got in late." Shmi admitted.

"Still, he could have stayed here all night if he wanted. Good to hear he didn't stick around."

"As comfortable as his limo is, I doubt he'd stay long enough to need to sleep in it." She pointed out. "But I'm glad he didn't completely ruin your date and you were both able to enjoy each other's company afterwards."

"I mean he did ruin it a little. But I guess I should have been prepared for him to come. He comes unannounced anyways." Anakin shrugged.

"Next time we have a date in, we'll do it at my place. He doesn't know where I live." Ben suggested.

Anakin nodded in agreement. "Probably better in case things end up the way they did last night."

"The only interruption we'll possibly get is a cat demanding attention and/or food." Ben chuckled.

"I can handle an interruption from a cat much better than from my dad," Anakin said, smiling for the first time that morning.

"Yes, and she's furry and sweet and much better than that disrespectful old man."

"So much better."

Qui-Gon chuckled. "I'm sure she would be happy to see you again. You might not be able to get away from her."

"Especially if he has a snack she likes to try stealing." Ben chuckled, reaching over to give Anakin's shoulder an affectionate squeeze.

"Maybe I'll bring snacks over next time so she pays attention to me the whole time." Anakin smirked at Ben.

Ben gave a playful gasp, "Are you trying to steal my fur baby?"

"Maybe. I do still miss my old one after all."

"You can get another puppy any time you want." Shmi said.

"We're not home often though," Anakin said. "We're here evenings, nights, and some of the mornings. I don't want to leave a pet home alone so soon after getting it."

"You could always enlist a pet sitter—I volunteer." Qui-Gon grinned. "My shop is pet friendly, and having one to take care of by taking on walks will remind me to take a proper break each day, and not just a quick run up to feed Basil and grab a quick bite to eat myself as I run back down to my shop."

"You'd be fine with watching an extra pet?"

"Dad's definitely a plant guy, but he has a soft spot for fluffy animals, as well."

Anakin nodded, thinking for a bit. "How would you be with a big dog?"

The man's eyes lit up.

Ben laughed, "As long as the dog isn't mean, my dad would love it."

"Dogs are never mean unless you train them to be. I would never do that to such a pure animal."

"Just let me know when you do get a dog, I'll be more than willing to take care of it while you're at work," Qui-Gon said with a big smile.

"You could come by, drop off the pup, and we can head to work together." Ben suggested.

"I like that idea," Anakin said. "Plus we can save on gas. I won't be able to bring the bike often though."

"You can if you get a side car and train your dog to sit and stay when on the road. There are motorcycle safety equipment made specifically for dogs." Shmi said, "Before I met your father I used to ride with a group cross-country, and one of our members had a dog he took with us."

 "Maybe I'll invest in getting a side car after I get a dog then."

"For a big dog at least. Smaller there are special carriers you can get." She hummed. "Either way, you can make it work."

"I did want to take Ben to the shelter with me to pick out a dog," the blond told his mother and Qui-Gon. "I don't know when we'll go. I'll need to make sure I have everything ready to bring a dog home before I actually go get a dog."

She nodded and laughed, "Just let me know so I'm not surprised by a happy pup with too much energy."

"I wouldn't bring that kind of surprise up on you unless the puppy was for you." Anakin smiled as he finished up his waffles.

"Sweet Ani." She chuckled.

"No dog could replace old Threepio though. I miss that dog." Anakin shook his head as he remembered his childhood pet.

"He was quite a member of this family." Shmi nodded. "Silly thing. A leaf falling to the ground near him would spook him into thinking there was an intruder. We never knew if we had an unexpected visit or something innocent set him off."

"He sure ran a lot, that's for sure. Loved to run as much as he could. He was such a nervous dog too, but I loved him like crazy."

Ani found him abandoned on the side of the road as a puppy. Brought him home and begged me to let him keep him. He nursed little Threepio back to health mostly all himself in order to prove he was responsible enough to have a dog." Shmi said.

"I had to help him. Seeing him just laying there looking so sad, I had to bring him home."

"I would have done the same." Ben said, smiling at Anakin.

"You did a couple times," Qui-Gon said. "Except they were birds or turtles."

"And one time a snake." Ben grinned, leaning over to Anakin, "Dad wasn't a fan of the snake. It bit him."

"You're lucky it wasn't poisonous."

Anakin chuckled. "I was only ever interested in dogs."

"There are no bad animals in my opinion. They are all precious."

"I can agree, but I almost always prefer dogs."

"We all have favorites." Ben nodded.

"So, since we're all here together," Qui-Gon spoke up, "Does anyone have any plans for the day? Running errands, working?"

"I'll be working the closing shift at my café." Shmi shrugged, "Other than that I have no plans.

"I need to go home to feed Basil, but it's Sunday, so no work." Ben added.

"Then maybe we could all go shopping for new outfits to wear to the musical," the older man suggested.

"You want to go shopping?" Ben asked, surprised.

Qui-Gon shrugged. "Sure, why not? We're all here, and we're all going to the musical, so why not get something nice to wear?"

"What do you think, Anakin?" Ben asked, looking to his boyfriend.

The blond shrugged. "I'm not one to dress up much, but I could use some more dress clothes."

"We could make it fun, too. We can pick out stuff for each other to try on. Could make for some good laughs together trying on things we normally wouldn't ever think to try."

"I'd pick things that make you all look like me," Anakin said with a chuckle.

"I'd see what you'd look like in pastels." Ben chuckled back.

"And your mom will be rocking those new dresses on display." Shmi hummed.

Anakin nodded. "Well I'm up for going shopping. I just need to shower and change my clothes."

"Why don't you two head home, feed your cat, and get ready for the day, and Anakin and I will meet you at the mall?" Shmi suggested.

"I say that sounds like a plan," Qui-Gon said.

"Thank you for breakfast, Mrs. Skywalker, and for not minding me spending the night on your couch." Ben smiled.

"Psh. I ate some of that pie you made. It more than paid any dues." She grinned.

"See you in a bit," Anakin said, leaning over to kiss Ben's cheek before getting up and heading to his room.

Ben flushed and nodded, getting up to take his dishes to the sink, "Okay, dad, lets get going. Basil's probably already glaring at the door."

"Wouldn't want to keep her waiting too long," Qui-Gon said as he stood up.

Ben laughed and nodded, following his father to the door and giving Shmi a little wave.

 

* * *

 

Anakin and Shmi waited at the entrance to the mall, waiting for the arrival of Ben and Qui-Gon for their little shopping spree. Not much of a man to dress up, Anakin wasn't overly thrilled for the shopping, but he was going to be shopping with his soulmate, and that alone was enough motivation for him to want to go shopping for once.

"Excited?" Shmi asked.

"A little, yeah," Anakin answered. "I'm not minding shopping for clothes since I know Ben will be here soon."

She smiled knowingly and nodded, "I think I'm going to go over to get a giant pretzel with cheese, would you like one?"

Anakin smiled back and nodded. "Yeah, if you wouldn't mind."

"Two salty twisty treats coming right up!"

While Shmi was away, Qui-Gon and Ben finally arrived at the mall. Anakin waved them down and smiled as they approached. "My mom just went to get some pretzels, she'll be right back."

"I'll go help her." Qui-Gon said, leaving his son alone with Anakin.

Ben chuckled, "He wants to make sure he has one to enjoy, too."

"I'll share mine with you," Anakin said while reaching for Ben's hand.

"Thank you." He glanced around, "Let's go wait for them on that bench."

Letting Ben lead him, Anakin happily went to the bench to wait. "I'm usually not big on shopping, especially for clothes unless it's t-shirts from a band I like."

"We can look at those if you want. We don't have to stick with our parents the whole time."

"I didn't plan to. They can have some time together while we have the same."

Ben nodded and leaned back on the bench, looking up at the skylight above them. "Maybe you can also show me some of the bands you like in the music store."

"I can do that," the blond said with a nod. "I need to see what concerts are nearby so I can take you to one."

"Yes please. I know we joked a bit about me at one of those concerts, but I really am interested in the experience."

"There really is nothing like it honestly. I've never been to another event that's even remotely close to a concert. There's so much energy and raw emotions, it's almost overwhelming, but a good overwhelming, if that makes any sense."

"I don't quite understand that, but maybe I'll have to see to know." He shrugged.

"Yeah, it's not something that's well translated through describing it."

Ben nodded and looked over at Anakin, "I had fun last night, by the way."

Anakin smiled back. "I did too. All of it was fun, besides my dad interrupting us."

"Such an unpleasant man. That's why we'll do movie night at my place next time."

"Especially if it leads into what we were stating to do."

Ben's face turned red very quickly and he cleared his throat, "Erm, yes, well…privacy is truly appreciated in such an activity."

"Yeah," Anakin sighed. "We should have gone to my bedroom or something. Could have avoided my dad easier."

"Technically we were still watching a movie." Ben chuckled.

"Yeah, until you jumped into my lap because you got scared." Anakin smirked.

Ben flushed even more, "I tried not to."

"And you did good at not jumping to much until that point in the movie. I'm impressed you did so well."

"So am I, honestly." Ben chuckled, "Ah, it'd be fun to go to one of those haunted house things at Halloween together. One of the ones for adults, not children. Really get me going."

"I love that idea. I know a couple good ones we could go to."

"Perfect. Now we just have to wait until October."

"We'll have to find some couples costumes to wear for Halloween."

"What kind? The cheesy type such as a key and keyhole, or a cool type such as two characters that clearly go together?"

"More thinking the two characters that clearly go together."

Ben nodded, "I hoped you'd say that. I'm not big on those cheesy costumes. We just need to think of a pair we both like."

"Maybe we can dress up as characters from the horror movie we watched last night." Anakin chuckled.

"What, the girl and her possessed murdering boyfriend?"

"Yeah, why not? Obviously you don't have to dress up as a girl, but we'd make a spooky couple."

"So you basically want to be the possessed killer?" Ben chuckled, "We'll see. I'm not sure how I'll look in those fishnets."

Anakin shrugged. "We have time before we need to get costumes. "

"True, and maybe we'll get a better idea by then."

"We can check out one of those costume stores and maybe find something."

"Or look online for ideas."

Anakin nodded as he spotted his mother and Qui-Gon walking back with four pretzels instead of the original two promised to be brought back. "Looks like you're getting a pretzel of your own."

"Hmm, if you still wish to share, we can each give each other a bite of ours." Ben chuckled.

"I'm willing to share still. I already said I was going to, so I shouldn't go back on my word."

"I just don't want you feeling disappointed we don't have to share." Ben chuckled, nudging Anakin playfully.

"I wouldn't feel disappointed, but I'm still sharing."

"What are you two flirting about?" Shmi asked, holding out one of the pretzels to Anakin.

"Sharing these," Anakin said as he took his pretzel.

"Oh, should we have not gotten four?"

"No, it's fine you got four, We're still going to share our pretzels."

"Adorable." She moved to sit on the bench directly behind the one Anakin and Ben were sitting on.

Anakin rolled his eyes with a smile as he tore off a bit of his pretzel and ate it. "I think my mom really likes us being together," he said to Ben.

"She likes seeing you happy." Ben replied, taking his Pretzel from his father before the tall man took his spot next to Shmi.

"I guess we like to see each other happy, with all we've been through in our lives. It's nice to know someone in our lives is happy "

Ben hummed in agreement and offered a bit of his treat to Anakin.

Anakin accepted the bite, smiling as he took it with his teeth. "I bet our parents are watching us," he said with a chuckle.

"You bet we are." They heard Shmi's voice giggle behind them.

Ben flushed a deep red, "Parents…" he rolled his eyes.

"Just making sure you kids stay appropriate," Qui-Gon joked.

"I remember why double dates with parents are not ideal if you want to get intimate." The blond sighed and smiled.

"Oh come on, Dad, it's me. Do you really think I'd do anything inappropriate…in public?" Ben tacked on, knowing that the night before the two of them had gotten a little handsy.

"I'm just teasing, Ben. I know you'll behave in public." Qui-Gon chuckled.

Ben ducked his head down and hid it with his pretzel. "Yeah, ditching the parents sounds great, don't you think?" he joked.

Anakin laughed. "If you want to, I'm up for it. They're adults, they can find their way around."

"My dad may get lost, but I'm sure your mom would be good at keeping him from wandering off."

"She used to keep me in check pretty well, so I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Then I won't have to worry." Ben said before biting into his treat.

"So, should we leave them be?" Anakin also took a bite of his pretzel.

"Yeah. Let's go look for a shop to hit up first."

Standing up, Anakin turned towards his mother and Qui-Gon. "We're going to look at some shops. We'll meet you at the food court around noon."

"Alright dear. Have fun." She smiled at the two young men before turning back to Qui-Gon, "Looks like we don't have to ditch the kids after all."

"They ditched us instead." Qui-Gon chuckled.

Shmi finished the last bit of her pretzel and tossed her trash into the bin next to the bench, "Come on, help me choose a new sun dress to wear on our next big solo date with you."

* * *

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11

As Anakin and Ben passed by the many stores in the mall, the blond casually looked into each one, searching for something that might catch his eye.

"Looking for something specific?" Ben asked, reaching between them to take hold of Anakin's hand.

"Not really, just something nice I guess. Not like a full on a suit though."

"You in a full suit? Never. You don't even wear one to work. Nicest you go is suit pants and a button-up." Ben teased.

"With the sleeves rolled up if I can get away with showing off my tattoos."

"I've noticed. The boss looks irritated those days." Ben laughed.

"I'm his best artist, he can survive me showing off my tattoos every few weeks."

"How old were you when you got your first tattoo? And which one was it?"

"I think I was 17. Mom and I got matching tattoos for my birthday." Anakin pulled up his sleeve to reveal a simple but charming design of a couple of hearts interlocked with each other. The tattoo was surrounded by many others, but that one tattoo had been given its space to make it stand out.

"How cute. Both the tattoo and the fact your mother has the same." Ben smiled, looking at the tattoo. "Do you plan to get more?"

"I do have another I'm designing right now... Though it was supposed to go over my soulmark before I met you. I don't know what I'm going to do with that design now."

"You—wanted to cover your soul mark?"

"Again, before I met you. I was ready to give up. I didn't want anything to do with any soulmates. But then you came, and I found out that you were my soulmate, and I forgot about wanting to cover my soul mark."

"I just can't imagine wanting to cover it… Especially with a tattoo. Marks are sensitive. I remember falling as a kid and I scraped my arm up pretty bad. My soulmark included. The pain my soulmark was in was unbearable."

"Some people embrace the pain, knowing they won't have to worry about finding someone they may never see. I was prepared for that pain, but I'm glad you came before I put myself through that. I'm sure I would have been thrown in a huge depressive state."

"I'm glad you didn't get the chance, either."

"It would have been the worst mistake of my life." Anakin looked over at Ben, squeezing his hand.

Ben flushed and nodded, before turning back to their previous topic, "The tattoo you had been designing, would it fit somewhere else?"

"Maybe on my shoulder blade, but I think I'm just going to scrap the design and make a new one. It was made to cover up a soulmark after all."

Ben nodded, "Will you show me the design sometime?"

"I guess. It's not... The prettiest to look at, to be honest."

"I'm just curious what your mark would have looked like if we hadn't met when we did."

"I'll show you when we leave if you want to stop by my house again."

Ben nodded, "I think that can be arranged."

"I keep it in a sketchbook at home. Didn't want to bring that kind of artwork into work and have more rumors spread about me."

"So the rumors do bother you?"

"A little, yeah. I mean I go along with them, but spreading a rumor that someone is a serial killer or something like that really hurts."

"For what it's worth, I didn't believe those ones—though I did make jokes about the rumor that you're a vampire." He laughed, "I believe I said I might like my neck being ravished by the infamous vampire I share my work space with—turns out, I really do enjoy that."

Anakin scoffed with a smile. "Maybe I should freak everyone at work out and come to work dressed like a vampire."

"Should I compliment that by returning from a trip to the restroom with some fang mark makeup on my neck?" Ben grinned.

"Oh absolutely. Gotta make it believable."

"Make sure it's a dark, stormy day, too." Ben chuckled. "Set the mood."

"Of course." Anakin chuckled as he thought if how that day might go. "But maybe I should confront everyone. Tell them who I really am and all that."

"It would help stop the company-wide fear of you." Ben nodded, "I can also help if you want. I haven't said anything because I'm not sure how much you want them to know about you or us."

"I think we should keep the whole soulmate thing a secret for now, unless someone happens to walk by and hear us."

Ben nodded, "Alright, then I'll not let the cat out of the bag about us at work."

Anakin nodded. "I think that's best for us for the moment. No need to have more rumors spreading about."

Ben hummed, "Knowing how they feel about you, they may start to think you're abusive or something."

Anakin grimaced. "I don't want that impression."

"Maybe I should let slip I'm with someone amazing and how happy he makes me, that way if they later find out it's you, it'll squash any bad rumors before they start."

"That's a good idea. Besides, our boss kinda knows about us... To a point. Saying you're with someone nice may help him be at ease when I show off my tattoos."

"Show off your tattoos? They already know about your tattoos."

"Yes, but like you mentioned earlier, he doesn't like it that much when I roll up my sleeves."

"Everyone still knows about them already."

"I guess the tattoos just add a little intimidating factor to my appearance."

"I would disagree. It's mostly the grumpy, unapproachable face you usually support at work."

Anakin shrugged. "What can I say? I'm not a morning person."

"I believe that after this morning."

"And you saw me after sleeping on a couch. Probably not a worse way to see me wake up."

"Helped that you were cute with how you held me close all night and didn't seem to want to let me get up." Ben smirked.

"Hey, cuddling is nice, especially if you have a person you like to cuddle."

"Don't worry, I thought it cute."

"I wasn't worried. I would be worried if you had pulled away and left in the middle of the night."

"Even if it's because our parents made me when they found us?"

"Parents are one story. You willingly getting up and leaving is another."

"If I ever leave you know of my own free will without letting you, it'd be because of a good reason, I'm sure."

"I wouldn't bother you with knowing the reason unless you wanted to tell me. Just as long as you don't suddenly disappear and never return a text again."

"Never. You're my soulmate. You deserve at least a text." Ben chuckled.

"I do appreciate that, especially after the relationship with my ex." Anakin sighed and walked closer to Ben, "I'm glad I'm not with her anymore."

Ben smiled and nodded to a nice clothing shop just a few feet ahead of them, "How about we try there first for musical date clothing, then if we both find something we'll be free to shop for more fun things."

Anakin nodded as they made their way into the store. "So random question. How do you feel about tattoos?"

"Worried I have a prejudice against them?" Ben asked, moving over to a rack of shirts and glancing up at Anakin, "I wasn't asking about your tattoos because I dislike them. I think that tattoos are beautiful in a unique way. I've always admired people who have wonderful art on their skin."

"Didn't think you had any bad opinions about them, since you hadn't said anything bad before." Anakin started looking through the shirts as well. "Was more wondering if you'd ever consider getting one of your own."

Ben paused in his looking and looked up again, "I've never actually thought of getting a tattoo."

"Ah… Well I was going to suggest maybe we get matching tattoos, but I guess we already have our soul marks."

"Do you think a tattoo would suit someone like me? I'm rather….boring."

"Well, tattoos tend to make people not boring." Anakin smiled at Ben.

"You think so?"

"Look at me. I'm an artist that likes to keep to himself. If I didn't have tattoos, I'd be the most boring person in the world."

"You crate beautiful things, Anakin, that's far from boring."

Anakin shrugged. "My point is you're not boring."

"Well, it's nice to know you don't think so, at least." Ben smiled.

"You're far from boring, despite what you say about yourself."

"I stick my nose in books for fun." Ben shrugged, "I know people find that boring."

"Some might. Others find it attractive. Or at least the look of a person curled up in a chair with a blanket and a book is attractive."

"Still, it's certainly not exciting for anyone outside my mind which is visiting the world within those pages." Ben pulled out a pale mint green button up to get a better look at it.

"Hey, as long as you're enjoying reading, really doesn't matter what other people think."

"I know." Ben put the shirt back and moved on, pulling out a black shirt instead, "What do you think of this one?"

"You know I'll always go for black. Go try it on; I wanna see how you look in black." Anakin chuckled.

"I was suggesting it for you, but I'll try it on if you want to see me in it."

"I can try it on too. Get a size for you and I'll get a size for me, then we'll try them on and show them to each other."

"Alright, we can do that." Ben asked, hanging up the shirt and searching through the tags for sizes. Once he found it in his size, he draped it over his arm and moved on to the next rack, intent on gathering a few options to try on before they hit the fitting rooms.

"Maybe try a color like this," Anakin suggested, pulling out a royal blue shirt. "Something not pastel."

"I like light colors if you haven't guessed. I think they suit me." Ben said, finding the shirt in his size, "I think you should try on the pastel blue one."

"Fair enough. I try pastel, you try dark." Looking through the shirts, Anakin picked out a pastel blue one in his size and gathered it with the other shirts he had.

"Okay, let's find some slacks and then start trying things on."

"You think I should get a new pair? Also what about some vests?" Anakin glanced at the vests they passed while heading to the slacks.

"To be honest, I'm not sure what all you have at home already. But at least one of the pair you wear to work are fraying on the bottom, probably from speedy bike rides. It'd be good to have at least one pair without the wear and tear of your everyday transportation." Ben said, "And sure, we can look at vests as well."

Anakin shrugged. "I guess I really do need a new pair if you noticed they were fraying."

"Should I go with classic black slacks?" Ben asked, approaching the display of suit pants, "I don't think I actually have any in black."

"Yeah, go with black then."

Ben nodded and searched through the black options.

While Ben searched, Anakin also looked through the sizes of slacks, finding one in his size and slinging it over his arm. "So what kind of casual outfits do you wear? Ever wear t-shirts?"

Ben blinked up at him, "I'm wearing my casual clothes right now, and yes, I own a T-shirt. I wear it when I'm doing messy work such as painting." He shrugged, pulling out a pair of slacks to check the size.

"This is your casual? We need to work on updating your wardrobe." Anakin chuckled. "Also, you paint?"

"What's wrong with my sweater vests?" Ben faux pouted before shrugging, "Oh yes, I paint a lot. Gotta keep the color fresh and nice in Dad's shop. Entire walls are a big job so I get a lot of practice." He paused to laugh, "I'm not talented in painting on canvas if that's what you were thinking."

"Oh, so you like paint walls and houses, stuff like that. You know, if your dad wanted a mural or something, I'd be more than willing to give him one for the shop."

"It's something you could bring up with him. He might like that. We repaint the shop every January as that's a slow month for flower sales. Maybe you can teach me a little something about creative painting."

"Sure. It's not too hard once you get the hang of it."

"My childhood drawings suggest otherwise." Ben chuckled.

"That's because they're childhood drawings. Anyone can learn to draw or paint, even if they dropped it for several years."

"I'm including my teen years in my childhood."

"Doesn't mean I can't still teach you. I'll have you painting masterpieces in no time."

"We'll see." Ben grabbed a tan vest and held it up before draping it over his arm with the other things to try on.

"At the very least you'll be able to paint some nice flowers."

"With your guidance."

Nodding, Anakin grabbed a black vest to try on with the rest of the clothes he had gathered. "Alright, so change into one outfit and show each other?"

"Yeah—oh, try this one too!" Ben said, pulling out a deep purple vest and placing it with the rest of Anakin's things.

Anakin looked at it before going into one of the changing rooms. He figured he'd save the purple vest for last, so he put on his black slacks, one of the pastel shirts Ben picked out for him, and the black vest, checking himself out in the mirror first before walking out and waiting for Ben.

Ben took a little longer choosing which things to try on first, but finally he stepped out in the black blouse, coupled with the tan vest.

Anakin looked up at Ben and smiled. "Hey, black does look good on you."

"You don't think it's too dark and makes me look even paler?" he asked, looking from the mirror to Anakin and smiling, "That color shirt doesn't quite suit you."

"Not too dark. It looks good on you." Anakin looked down at the shirt and shrugged. I thought the color would be balanced out by the amount of black."

"The lightness isn't bad, it's just the color chosen. Peach isn't quite right. If I wasn't wearing my contacts, I'd think you had a pretty bad tan line half way up your neck."

Anakin laughed. "I'll try on a different color then."

"We both should." Ben nodded.

Going back into their changing rooms, both men tried on different shirts, Anakin going for a pastel blue this time with the same black vest. Ben slipped into something more to his tastes; a white blouse with a pastel blue vest, though he did try on the black pants he'd grabbed as well.

As they walked back out to show each other, Anakin smoothed down his vest. "How about this color? Does it look better on me?"

"Much better." Ben smiled, reaching up to fix his collar which had folded strangely. "The blue looks much better than the peach."

"Yeah, peach just really isn't a good color to wear honestly." Anakin readjusted his vest, then looked over Ben's outfit. "I like your colors. We kinda match."

Laughing, Ben nodded, "It seems like we do."

"Should we do matching outfits for the musical?"

"Do we dare be that kind of couple?" Ben smirked, slipping his arm through Anakin's as he looked at them both in the mirror.

 "We could. We look good together like this." Anakin moved to roll up the sleeves of his shirt, then he stuck his hands in his pockets and struck a pose, smirking a little. "Sometimes I wonder if this is what celebrities feel like when the paparazzi start taking pictures of them."

"I imagine that'd feel like an invasion of privacy."

"Unless you're one who loves the spotlight. Those people have a hay day with all those cameras around."

"I'm not a fan of the spotlight, but I do like clothes that make me feel rather dashing."

"Well these clothes do look quite good on you, if I were to have an opinion."

"Your opinion is one I'd want to consider." Ben smiled.

"Then consider my opinion a compliment." Anakin smiled and leaned over to kiss Ben's ear.

Ben's face flushed, "Then lets get these outfits for the musical date." He agreed.

"But I haven't even tried on the purple vest yet."

"I didn't say we can't try on more." Ben smirked.

Anakin nodded. "Alrght, let's try on more and definitely get these matching outfits."

Ben nodded, "And then go look for cute printed socks!"

"Absolutely. I want some more wacky ones to wear like my taco socks."

"I can never have enough fun printed socks." Ben agreed, moving to change into the next outfit he'd pulled from the racks.

"I should buy more. I don't have enough now as is."

"We will certainly fix that today."

"I sure hope so. I need good socks to wear to the musical."

"Maybe a pair with music notes." Ben laughed as he changed into his last option he'd grabbed.

"Or maybe one of those cartoon viking opera singers."

"If you can find that." Ben pulled the modesty curtain back and stepped out in a light pink shirt and a dark purple, almost black, vest.

Anakin was also wearing his purple vest he was suggested to try on, sporting the pastel blue shirt with it.

"You look nice. The vest isn't as dark as you normally go for, but it still looks great with you and that shirt." Ben smiled.

"You think so?" Anakin looked at himself in the mirror, turning a couple times to get different angles.

"I do." Ben nodded, watching him turn around to get a good look.

"Maybe I'll get this one too then. That way I can have more than one vest to make some variety in my wardrobe." Anakin chuckled.

"I'll approve of that idea. What do you think of mine?" Ben gave a little spin.

"I really think anything dark suits you just as well as anything pastel does."

"I don't think I'll ever let go of my light colors, but I'm willing to include a splash of dark here and there."

"If you include some dark, I'll include some light every once in a while."

"Deal. Lets change into our normal clothes again and pay for our stuff, then we can find a store that will have cuter sock choices."

Changing back into their original clothes, the two paid for their new outfits and made their way out of the store. They had a new mission, and finding the best socks was top priority. "It be nice if there was a store just for socks," Anakin said as he looked around, catching a whiff of the food court.

"I'm sure one exists, but not in our small city." Ben chuckled.

"We should find one, or make one of our own. I've got plenty of design ideas I could use on socks."

"I can sew a little, but socks are not something I've made before."

"Or we could just buy premade socks with our designs on them and sell them."

Ben chuckled and shifted his bag to his other hand as they walked, "Maybe."

"We'd probably have to charge quite a bit for them to make up for ordering them. That's a whole process I don't think I really want to get into now that I think about it."

"I don't know anything about running a business, really. Are you serious about this idea?"

"Nah, not really. It's more work than I like to be honest."

"Okay. I thought we were joking to start but then I wasn't so sure you were." Ben laughed.

"I was mostly joking, then I was completely joking when I realized how much work it is to run your own business."

"Yeah, I've seen my dad do it, and you, your mom. I'm not sure it's quite for me at the moment."

"Yeah, I'll stick to drawing cover art for novels."

"Let's try this shop for socks." Ben suggested, pointing across the way.

"Looks promising," Anakin said, heading into the store.

* * *

To be continued…


	12. Chapter 12

Walking up to the performance building the musical was to be held in, Anakin felt like he should have brought a suit jacket with him. Several of the other men walking in were wearing them, and in fact, Anakin hardly saw any man not wearing a suit jacket. He sighed and adjusted the collar of his dress shirt. "I feel a little underdressed," he muttered.

"You're fine. Besides, I didn't wear a jacket either." Ben shrugged, "At least I convinced you on wearing the tie before we piled into the car."

Anakin nodded. "Yeah, I guess I'm not _really_ underdressed."

"If anyone is, it's my dad. I can't believe he lost one of his dress shoes so quickly and decided to wear sandals of all things." Ben chuckled, glancing back at where their parents were walking at their own distance.

The blond chuckled. "You dad is a special kind of man."

"He sure is. I'm glad he's found someone again who enjoys his little quirks like that. He seems to fall for your mom more every time he sees her."

"I think I can say the same for my mom. I almost feel like they flirt more with each other more than we do now."

"They aren't soulmates; they have chosen to build their bond, while we have a natural one." Ben pointed out, "The flirting helps with that."

"True. I'm just glad they're both happy. Makes me worry less about my mom."

"Yeah. It's a little strange that my dad's dating my soul mate's mom, but she's good for him."

"They're both good for each other. For me seeing them happy is better than remembering they're dating each other."

"Same." Ben stepped forward and opened the door to the theater for Anakin.

Anakin thanked Ben as he walked into the foyer of the performance hall. It wasn't often he got to enter such a fine establishment, so he was easily impressed by the architecture and decorating.

"Let's use the men's room and then go find our seats. They'll scan our tickets at the doors into the seating areas." Ben suggested, hooking arms with Anakin and leading him towards the restrooms.

Letting himself be led to the bathroom, Anakin made himself stand a little taller, almost feeling like he should look more intimidating to ward off hungry eyes wanting to get a good look at Ben. Even if they weren't the best dressed at the event, there were some who could still appreciate a good looking redhead.

Ben parted from him at the door, none the wiser of Anakin's thoughts as he moved to an empty urinal. He finished up quickly and washed his hands before waiting for Anakin who wasn't far behind. Pulling out their tickets, he looked at them, "We're in the lower general seating, it looks like. Section C. So we just need to find the doors to section C."

"Are our parents next to us, or do they have different seating?"

"They're a row behind us, but still right near us." Ben said.

Anakin nodded. "We'll have to behave then."

"Behave? We're here to enjoy a musical. This isn't like at home where we can make out and rewind if we got carried away and missed something." Ben smirked, bumping their shoulders.

"I know, but nothing stopping a hand on a knee occasionally."

The corner of Ben's lips twitched upwards, "No, nothing is stopping us from little things like that or one of us slipping his arm around the other's shoulders."

"Or just holding hands, fingers intertwined as we watch the musical." Anakin grabbed his soulmate's hand with a smile as they looked for their entrance to their seating area.

Smiling with a tinge of pink blooming across his cheeks, Ben nodded as he spotted the sign directing them to the correct entrance. "Over here." He said, pulling Anakin along and waiting in the short but crowded queue to get in. Once they got to the doorman, Ben handed over their tickets to be scanned, and then took them back with a word of thanks as they were let in. He double checked their row and seat numbers before leading Anakin down the aisle to them and settling into one of the seats their tickets indicated.

Anakin sat down next to the redhead with a comfortable sigh, sinking into his seat while knowing he wouldn't be getting up for a while. "Nice view from here. I wonder how much these tickets normally cost."

"I'm not sure. But that's a luxury that comes with winning free tickets." He chuckled.

"Well I'd like to know for future reference in case we want to come to another musical."

"The prices vary depending on the show's popularity and casting, seat location, venue, and other such things." Ben shrugged.

"It'd be cool if one of my favorites ends up being performed here. I'd pay any price to watch it."

"The programs they handed us at the door has a listing of all the upcoming performances scheduled to show here, and beyond that, I can keep an eye on the website for new announcements."

"We can totally have another musical date, without parents I might add."

"You know I'm always up for a musical date. With or without parents."

"Then next time one of my favorites is being performed here, I'm getting tickets."

Ben nodded, "It'll be a date." He joked.

"On top of all the other dates we have planned." Anakin chuckled just as the lights were beginning to dim.

"I started to write them all down but can't remember all the date ideas we've discussed." Ben admitted.

"I do remember the camping one, but we can talk later. Looks like the show is about to start."

Ben nodded, glancing behind them to make sue their parents were seated. They were.

The musical began with a bright and happy song with a male high school student singing about his troubles in life. Anakin thought the song to be a bit cliché, but he made himself keep the mindset that this was a musical he had never seen before, so it was possible he might like it in the end.

The plot was as cheesy and cliché as the opening song was. A boy dreaming of a storybook life with his destined soul mate, getting frustrated as his friends found theirs around him all before graduation. But then he met her. A stunning beauty that many longed for, and it didn't take him long to see the mark on her shoulder matched the one on the inside of his arm.

But then there was the subplot that was mentioned every so often. A serial killer on the loose around the college town the majority of the story was set in. And that had caught Anakin's attention more than the dull romance he had seen time and time again on TV. And it was happening more and more frequently. He had to wonder if one of the two soul mates would end up dead before the second half as the tone of the show turned steadily darker.

And then it happened. The hero of the show rushed in, finding his beautiful soul mate elbows deep in the corpse of the latest victim.

The curtain dropped and the house lights faded back on for intermission.

Anakin sat there, quite impressed with the plot twist just before intermission. He smiled and looked over at Ben. "I think this is quickly becoming a favorite of mine."

Ben laughed, "I had a feeling you were getting hooked. I knew it was a darker show, but I didn't know specifics. I don't like spoiling things for myself before watching a new one." He glanced over at Anakin with a grin, "You were not impressed with the beginning though, I could tell. You slumped and fidgeted a lot when everything was super cliché."

"I mean one of my favorites starts out cliché, but this one just seemed especially cliché. Until things got good of course."

Ben chuckled and nodded, "They really cranked up the cheesy romance element to throw unsuspecting viewers off the scent. Makes me wonder, though…what I'd do if you turned out to be a killer like those rumors…" He smirked and winked at Anakin, "What would you do if I were the murderer?"

"Probably join you," Anakin said in the most casual tone of voice.

"How brave of you to step into a life of crime for me." Ben laughed.

"Well, you are my soulmate, and I would follow you on any path through life, whether good or evil. We're in it together."

"I'm not sure I could follow you into evil, though I feel it'd kill me emotionally if I left you because of it." Ben admitted.

"Good thing I'm not really evil like our co-workers seem to think."

"I'm not disappointed." Ben reached over to squeeze Anakin's hand.

In response Anakin leaned over and kissed Ben's cheek. "Good."

The people who had gotten up were returning to their seats around the two.  "Good." Ben flushed.

Anakin chuckled as he shifted in his seat, then standing to stretch a little. When the lights began to dim once more, he sat back down and grabbed Ben's hand once more.

 

* * *

 

The theater was filled with applause that threatened to drown out the music playing as the actors all took their bows. Slowly it died down and people began filing out.

"Do we want to all go someplace nice to eat dinner before driving home?" Ben asked, turning to look at his father and Shmi as they waited to be able to file out with the others around them.

"I think that would be a lovely way to end tonight." Shmi smiled, "Unlike the show. I can't believe the entire second half happened that way!"

"I loved it," Anakin said with a wide grin. "All the plot twists and weird places were so good."

"We should move out of the theater so the clean up crew can get to work," Qui-Gon suggested.

"We can only go as fast as the crowd around us." Shmi pointed out, patting his arm.

"So where should we eat," Anakin asked as they started to shuffle their way out of the seating area. "Steakhouse, burger place, buffet?"

"Someplace nice. We're all dressed up, may as well take advantage of it and not go to a super casual place. But also not too fancy, given Qui's choice in foot attire." Shmi giggled.

"Steakhouse it is." Ben said.

"Steakhouse sounds perfect," Qui-Gon agreed with a smile. "You won't have to worry about my feet showing much."

Ben pulled out his phone and looked up steakhouses nearby, "There's one within walking distance that has good reviews. We wouldn't have to pay for parking twice."

"A walk to our food sounds like a fantastic idea," Qui-Gon agreed. "Plus walking back from it will be nice as well."

Ben nodded an took note of the directions before pocketing his phone, "Alright, lets go."

Anakin grabbed Ben's hand, and Qui-Gon grabbed Shmi's, and together the two couples headed on their way to the steak house. When they arrived, luckily the restaurant wasn't terribly busy, so they were able to be seated without too long a wait.

They ordered their food and discussed the show they had seen while waiting for their meal. Once they were all finished, they paid their bills, and headed out to be greeted with a heavy downpour.

"Oh dear." Ben frowned, stepping out the door into the muggy air under the awning. "This isn't going to be a nice walk back to the parking garage…"

Anakin held out his hand, noting how wet it got by just being in the rain for a few seconds. "I can go get the car, you guys stay here and stay dry."

"Are you sure? I can go with you so you aren't the only miserable one on the ride home." Ben offered.

"No, stay. I don't mind the rain anyways." Anakin rolled up his sleeves with a smile, and then he took off running into the rain to retrieve their car.

"WAIT! ANAKIN! My dad has the keys!" Ben called out after him.

Skidding to a stop Anakin ran back. "Right, forgot I didn't have the keys." He chuckled, water dripping off his hair and his clothes sticking to him closely.

Qui-Gon handed over the keys with a smile. "Try not to get too wet.

"I think it's already too late for that. It looks like he jumped into a lake." Ben said, observing how the clothes clung to Anakin's frame.

"Not a bad look for him, huh?" Qui-Gon elbowed his son with a chuckle.

Anakin shrugged and smirked, turning to run off again into the rain to fetch the car.

Ben's face turned bright red as he groaned, "Daaad."

"And the way he had his sleeves rolled up? Quality specimen if I do day so," Qui-Gon added.

Ben hid his face in his hands, "I can ogle my own boyfriend without your help, thanks."

The older man chuckled. "I'm sorry, Ben, I'm just giving you a hard time. I only mean well."

Shmi also chuckled, "He's shy. Maybe tease him once you two are home alone."

"Of course. I didn't mean to embarrass him in front of his soulmate."

"I think you did." Ben muttered, still red from embarrassment. But there was no bite in his words to show he was upset.

"I won't say anything more about him," Qui-Gon promised.

Before long, Anakin arrived with the car, parking close to the curb so the others wouldn't get very wet.

Ben ran out first, pausing to open the door and climb in, leaving it open for the other two. He climbed up into the front passenger seat and pushed his wet hair back as he smiled crookedly over at Anakin, "Hope that wasn't too horrible a run for you."

"I've ran in worse before, this was nothing," Anakin said, his hair and clothes even move soaked than before.

Shmi and qui-Gon settled in the back and closed the door. "Well, I'm sure you still look forward to getting home where you can change into nice dry pajamas." Shmi said.

"Absolutely, and possibly a shower too," Anakin said as he pulled away from the restaurant.

"Definitely. I want one and I didn't get nearly as soaked as you." Ben said.

"I'm sure we all will get nice showers when we get home."

"Only if I get in before dad. He uses up all the hot water." Ben chuckled.

"I've got a lot of hair," Qui-Gon argued. "Takes longer to wash."

"You get singing and lose track of time." Ben accused.

Qui-Gon simply shrugged. "It can happen."

Ben chuckled and glanced at Anakin, admiring how curls clung to his skin.

"You're staring," Anakin said as Qui-Gon and Shmi picked up a conversation of their own.

"You look attractive right now." Ben flushed.

"Do I? Hadn't noticed." Anakin smiled at Ben briefly before returning his eyes to the road.

"Good thing you have me to notice for you."

"And your dad. He seemed to think I looked good as well."

Ben grimaced, "Sorry about that. He teases me sometimes."

"It's fine, I took no offence to it. It humored me actually."

"I still had hoped that you didn't hear that."

Anakin shrugged. "I can pretend I didn't hear it."

"Too late, I know you did." Ben chuckled.

"Well then perhaps next time he says something like that, I can acknowledge it and agree with him. That wouldn't embarrass you too much would it?"

"I'm not sure. I guess it depends on the situation and what was said."

"Maybe even you could agree with your father. I mean, I know I'm pretty nice to look at."

"I'd just like to be able to admire you when you look good without comments from the peanut gallery."

"Fair enough."

Before long, the four arrived back at the Skywalker home. Anakin ran inside to grab some umbrellas so they wouldn't have to get any more wet than they already are. As Qui-Gon got out and helped Shmi out if the car, Anakin went around and opened the door for Ben, making sure the umbrella covered him as he got out.

"Gentleman." Ben muttered, kissing Anakin's wet cheek as he slipped out of the car and under the umbrella.

"I try to be." Anakin smirked as he held the umbrella and walked to the front door with Ben.

Shmi unlocked the front door as she huddled close with Qui-Gon under their umbrella, before slipping inside quickly so that the others could follow.

"Well, the rain doesn't seem to show signs of letting up any time soon. You two are welcome to stay a bit in hopes of a break in the weather." She said, kicking off her shoes and setting her purse aside.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Qui-Gon said as he rid the water from his hair before taking off his coat and hanging it up. "I hope we wouldn't be a bother if we did stay here a little longer."

"Of course not. We can continue our conversation in person this way, and I'm sure my Ani and your Ben will find a way to entertain themselves until the rain lets up."

"I'm sure they will," Qui-Gon said as he glanced back at their sons and smiled.

Anakin pulled his coat off and hung it up, folding the umbrella and setting it by the door before he grabbed Ben's wrist. Their soulmarks touched and he felt the slight warmth from the touch. He smiled. "Hey, let's go to my room," he suggested.

"You sure you don't want to get dried off first?" Ben asked, being pulled along willingly.

"We can grab a towel on the way," the blond responded, grabbing a towel from the bathroom as they passed by.

"Whatever makes you comfortable."

"I can take a shower after you leave. It's no big deal." Anakin started drying off his hair slightly as they entered his bedroom.

The walls were nearly covered floor to ceiling in posters of bands and sketches of Anakin's drawings. There were some string lights hanging up towards the ceiling and over the bed. The bed was not quite made, but it wasn't a complete mess. Pleasant enough for company.

Ben took in his surroundings before sitting on the edge of Anakin's bed, "It suits you."

"I would hope so." Anakin tossed the towel to Ben. "You don't mind if I change, do you?"

"Not at all, though if you mind I will close my eyes."

"Do what you want." Anakin stripped off the vest and dress shirt he had on and draped them over a chair.

Ben only half watched, his gaze moving around to some of the artwork on the walls.

Moving behind some stacked boxes, Anakin traded his pants for jeans, then he grabbed a t-shirt and threw it on. "Okay, I'm done."

Ben glanced back at him and smiled, "Do I get a tour of your sketch book today?"

"Sure, if you're up for it." Anakin went over to a shelf on the wall and picked out a very worn out sketch book with many pages ripped out and pasted in. It wasn't the prettiest, but it was well used and loved.

"Looks chaotic so far." Ben teased, shifting over so Anakin could sit next to him.

"I've had it for years, so there's some old art here." Anakin sat down and opened the cover, the first drawing of a dragon holding a pearl, or some other round object.

"How old? Highschool?" Ben asked, leaning in against his shoulder.

"This one, maybe. I think most of these are from late high school."

Ben nodded, "Let me know when we get to the more recent stuff. The only work of yours I had ever really seen before was that little thank you doodle you sent me after I made brownies for the office."

Flipping through more pages, Anakin began to find newer art, and then they came upon the drawing that was to become the tattoo over Anakin's soul mark. It was dark, heavy, and very disturbing if one knew the meaning behind it. A man lay draped over sharp rocks and thorns, caged like an animal as he was screaming out in pain.

Anakin sighed and ran his fingers over the drawing. "This... Was going to be _that_ tattoo."

"That one?" Ben frowned, looking at it, "Why so…disturbing?"

"The final design was gonna be gorier. Lots of blood and stuff like that. You could tell what my opinions on soulmates were."

"I'm glad you changed your mind…and never got this thing finalized on your hand…"

"Me too." Anakin leaned against Ben with a sigh, turning the page to a drawing very clearly of Ben in a bed of flowers.

Ben blinked in surprise, "When did you..?" he ran his fingers over the edge of the page, not wanting to smudge the drawing, but feeling the need to touch.

"Uh... A couple days ago." Anakin smoothed out the page with a smiled.

"You made me look beautiful."

"Well... I had to make it as life-like as possible."

"This is how you see me?"

"Not quite, I mean I can't quite draw realism perfectly, or how I see you. I wish I could draw you better, actually." Anakin rubbed the back of his neck.

"Would it help if I posed for you?" Ben flirted.

"You want to be my model for a little bit?" Anakin got up to grab a pencil with a smile.

"I have the time to do so." Ben nodded.

"Then give me your best pose on the bed. Take your time, I need to set up a place to draw..."

"I've…never done this before, so tell me if I look silly." Ben said, slipping further on the bed and moving pillows around to get in a comfortable and attractive position—he hoped.

Setting up a couple chairs with a board and larger paper, Anakin sat down and looked over at bed. He decided he needed to be elevated, so he found some sturdy boxes to set the chairs on. Finally content with his position, Anakin smiled at Ben. "You look like a natural. Are you comfortable?"

"Yes." Ben smiled, "Glad I'm not silly looking."

"Far from it. If only I could get you to take your clothes off," the blond joked as he began sketching.

"Both our parents are in the other room, so not happening. However…" he shifted and unbuttoned his vest, then a few on his shirt. Then he mused his hair a bit before getting back into his pose, "How's this?"

Anakin smiled. "You sure are a tease. I like it."

"Well, I got to see you soaked in rain, why not give you a little something as well?"

"I do appreciate the bit of chest I get to see." Anakin made smooth curving lines as he sketched Ben. His arm seemed to move gracefully across the paper like a fine artist. He may as well have been making a painting.

They sat in silence while Anakin worked on his drawing before Ben suddenly let out a laugh, " _Draw me like one of your French girls, Jack_." He quoted as his mind reminded him of the scene in _Titanic_.

Anakin barked out a laugh, making a line over his drawing that was far from intentional. "Oh crap, that's gonna be hard to erase." He chuckled and shrugged.

"Sorry." Ben chuckled.

"It's fine, I can work around it. It's not the worst thing to happen to a drawing of mine. I lost a whole project to a power surge that fried my computer. I had everything backed up because I knew it was an old computer, but I pushed my luck with that one project."

"Well, at least this one has a fun story behind the mistake."

"Yeah, my model made me laugh and my hand slipped." Anakin chuckled and sighed. "Well I got a good gesture drawing."

"I don't really know what that means." Ben admitted.

"It means I've basically got the shape but no big details yet." He grabbed the paper and turned it to show Ben.

"Oh, I see." Ben nodded.

Putting the paper back, Anakin stood back from his drawing and joined Ben on the bed. He laid on his back and closed his eyes, sighing as he got comfortable.

Ben leaned over him and pressed a little kiss to his temple, "Tired?"

"Not really, just...relaxed. Glad to be with you." Anakin smiled.

Nodding, Ben played with a golden curl, "Happy to be here with you, too."

Anakin curled up next to Ben and closed his eyes. "I'm glad you started working at the same company I did."

"Even though I invaded your space and threw your trash away?"

"I was bad about keeping the cubicle clean. And coworkers came by and stared all the time. I'm used to the invasion of privacy."

"And now they come to talk to me when they think your music's too loud for you to notice."

"If I notice someone is near, I'm extra aware of what they're doing. Even when they come to talk to you now."

"But they don't know that." Ben pointed out before smiling, "There's much they don't know when it comes to the mysterious artist brooding in the window cubicle."

"Yeah, and I doubt anyone wants to get to know me. I'm just a big mystery to them all right now."

"Come now, you know I want to get to know you quite well, and eventually maybe even quite…intimately."

"We've gotten a little intimate before. But going further... And not being interrupted, sounds good." Anakin looked up at Ben.

Ben smiled and leaned in, pressing his lips to Anakin's.

The blond welcomed the kiss with a smile, hooking his hand around the back of Ben's head to pull him closer.

The kiss deepened, Obi-Wan rolling over on top of Anakin as their lips worshiped each other.

"Boys," Shmi's voice came through the door along with a little knock, "The rain has let up."

Anakin pulled away from the kiss with a sigh, looking up at Ben. "Okay, we'll be out in a minute."

"Interrupted yet again…" Ben sighed, kissing Anakin once more before sitting up and fixing his hair and clothing.

"At least it wasn't my dad this time. That was a real mood killer." Anakin sat up and made himself look presentable before opening his bedroom door.

Ben hummed in agreement, making sure he still had everything of his before following Anakin out.

Qui-Gon turned his head to look at the boys as they approached. "Hey, ready to go home Ben?"

"I suppose." He turned to smile at Anakin, "I'll message you once I'm home."

"Okay, have a good night." Anakin smiled back with a little wave.

Ben smiled and waved back before disappearing out the door with his father, leaving the two Skywalkers alone once more.

* * *

To be continued… 


	13. Chapter 13

"So the party should be after work on Friday.  Brings snacks, drinks, anything to eat will be fine really. If it ends up being a whole meal, so be it." Kit smiled as he explained what to bring for the office party that was going to happen at the end of the week. It was all the other coworkers could talk about, especially in the break room. "Ben, you're invited to come as well."

"Hu?" Ben snapped his attention up to Kit and blinked owlishly. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I was double checking my grocery list." He admitted.

"That's okay. We were just talking about the office party on Friday, and that you're invited of course."

"Office party? Is there a special reason or is it just for moral?"

"Just moral. So, wanna come? It'll be a chance for you to get away from Anakin."

"He's not invited?"

"Well, uh..." Kit shifted his eyes to the floor. "We never really do invite him. The one time we did he didn't show up. He saw the party happening as he left work."

"He is still part of the company. Maybe you should try inviting him again. Who knows, he may want to this time."

"We could try, but we're not promising he'll show up. Besides, knowing he's not around generally allows us to have more fun."

"He really isn't that bad. He hasn't attacked my neck with his vampire fangs even once." Ben smirked.

"Wait, he's really a vampire then?" one coworker exclaimed, perhaps a bit too loud.

"Any louder and his vampire ears will hear you for sure over his music." Ben teased.

"Oh my god, we can't let a vampire into the party!" The coworker proceeded to freak out over the fact that Anakin was probably a vampire.

Rolling his eyes, Kit sighed. "We'll invite him, but again, no promises he'll stay."

Ben leaned over closer to Kit, "Does she actually believe vampires are a real thing?"

"Who knows, she's very superstitious. She comes up with these wild theories all the time."

"Or maybe she spends too much time editing horror novels." Ben chuckled, checking his watch, "My break's about over. I'll extend the invitation to my cubicle partner for you—oh, should I bake a treat to pass?"

"Bake as much as you want. The more the merrier." Kit smiled as he went back to talking to other coworkers.

Ben nodded and gathered his things before walking back to his desk, setting everything down before reaching over Anakin's shoulder to tap his desk and get his attention.

After finishing up a few lines, Anakin saved his work and paused his music, taking his headphones off as he looked up at Ben. "Hey, what's up?"

"There's going to be an office party after work on Friday. Thought you should know should you wish to join in."

"Oh, nice to be invited again..." Anakin shrugged. "I don't know, I usually don't go because I don't really fit in with everyone. Besides, they're not too comfortable around me."

"I'll be there…with something baked." Ben tempted.

"It's tempting, but... I don't know, Ben. Even though I'm invited this time, I still feel like I'm not really wanted at the party."

"I'd like it if you were. So there's one reason to at least consider."

Anakin nodded. "I'll consider it. But I may not stay long."

"That's fine, I just want you to consider." Ben said, sitting back down in his chair.

"I will, but I also kinda wanted to get away this weekend. I wanted you to come with me, and it'll just be the two of us."

"What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking a camping trip. Up in the mountains, fresh air, watching the stars at night, and just us two. Call it a date if you like."

"Sounds romantic—if we have enough bug spray to keep the pests away."

Anakin chuckled. "I'll make sure to get plenty of bug spray, plus one of those torches that burns fuel that's supposed to keep bugs away."

"Alright, I'll make sure my bag is packed."

"So you'd be down for this spontaneous camping trip?"

"With you, yes. No interruptions."

"No parents to stop us from getting to intimate," Anakin said with a smile.

"Just us two under the stars. Quite romantic, really. "

"Very romantic. Probably the most romantic thing I'll have done in my life so far."

"The first of many, I hope." Ben chuckled.

Anakin nodded. "So it looks like neither of us will be staying at the party long on Friday then. We want to have plenty of time to get out of town and find the right camping spot."

"Sounds good to me."

"And maybe we can tell our co-workers the truth now... So maybe they won't think I'm a bad person so much anymore."

"If that's what you want. I don't care who knows, after all. Last time we spoke of it, you weren't ready for the coworkers to know."

"Well, since I'm actually invited this time, I should probably make an effort to let people get to know me, which includes relationships."

"If that's what you want." He nodded again.

"I think that's what I want, yeah." Anakin nodded to himself, deciding that was what he wanted to do.

"Then I won't be shy about smiling at you at work." Ben chuckled.

"A kiss on the cheek here and there would be nice too." Anakin smiled as he turned back to his computer.

"We'll see. I'm not huge on the idea of public displays of affection in a professional setting."

"Well then I'll give you a kiss on the cheek instead. I'm not worried about affection in public, as long as it's not full on sloppy kissing."

Ben nodded, "But for now we should get back to work so we don't get behind and have to take work with us over the weekend."

"I'm not too worried about that." Returning to his work, Anakin kept a smile on his face until the work day was done.

* * *

 

"I can't stay the entire time as I have weekend plans, but I made sugar cookies." Ben said, setting the platter of cookies he'd brought down on the food table that had been set up for the office party.

"Great! We'll take you as long as we have you." Kit smiled at Ben as the redhead set down the cookies. His smile faltered a little when he saw Anakin standing close behind Ben. "And of course... we're happy to have you too, Anakin."

Anakin nodded, feeling all eyes turn to him, and he felt quite uncomfortable.

Ben glanced back at Anakin with a little supportive smile, "I'm glad to see you decided to come for a bit too, Anakin." The blond had still been a bit undecided that morning.

"Well, there's free food, so I might as well stay for a little bit..."

Clearly everyone who wasn't Ben was surprised to hear Anakin talk. Hardly anyone got to hear him so much as cough or sneeze, so when he spoke he was even more mysterious than he had been when he didn't talk.

"We're glad you finally came," Kit said, keeping his smile inviting.

Ben hummed a little to himself as he scooped some punch into two paper cups, before offering one to Anakin, "If you'd like a hint on how to be social, I believe Quinlan would be a good place to start. He's been interested in a tattoo design from you so that could be a good starter topic." He suggested, ignoring how half the people relaxed that their name hadn't been suggested.

Anakin nodded and looked over at Quinlan, hoping the man wouldn't look away. Thankfully he didn't, and in fact he was so bold as to approach Anakin with a smile. "Hey, I heard you make some pretty wicked tattoo designs. Been wanting to talk to you about commissioning one from you."

Anakin blinked. "You want to commission me? Uh, yeah, sure, of course! Let's discuss what you want."

The two headed over to an empty table and began to discuss ideas for Quinlan's tattoo idea.

Ben smiled and took a sip of his punch as he watched the two men sit down, Anakin even grabbing a pen and scrap of paper, likely to make notes on and a few rough ideas to get him started.

"See, he's not so bad at all. He's just slow to open up."

Kit nodded as he watched Anakin and Quinlan. "His voice is not quite what I imagined... But at least he sounds like a normal human being. I'm sure that puts a lot of our co-workers at ease."

"I think he has a very nice voice." Ben agreed, "Hopefully having heard it will help ease some of our rather—imaginative co-workers' worries."

"Does he talk to you often in your cubicle? It's clear you've talked to him before, after all."

"Not a ton, but he does talk to me at work sometimes." Ben nodded, choosing not to mention how much they talk outside of work, "First time he spoke to me was actually my second day on the job—after I had made those brownies and brought them in."

"I have to say, I'm impressed you got him to come."

"I promised to bake something delicious." The redhead laughed, "He seems to like my baking."

"That's good. Maybe the key to making him more social and less scary is to feed him sweets."

"What's that old saying? The way to a man's heart is through his stomach? There may be some truth there. It did create a window where Anakin would actually talk with me and make our shared space a bit more comfortable when he's in."

"Sounds like the food is working." Kit chuckled as he reached back to grab a cookie. "Fascinating how just giving someone food can make them sociable."

"My mom always told me that when you bake with all your love, magic is baked into each bite that will bring people together."

"Well your mom was right because I'm sure some sort of magic was used to get him social."

"The magic of brownies." Ben laughed, "And not pushing too hard to talk probably helped. Kept things casual."

"You must be the lucky one with the magic touch," Kit said. "Everyone else has been unsuccessful trying to get him to talk. Except our boss of course."

"Well, it's kind of a requirement in any job to talk to the boss when needed."

"I wonder if he knows how little Anakin actually talks while at work..." Kit shrugged and shook his head. "It's not my place to question what the boss knows. As long as I still have a job here, I'm fine not knowing every little detail."

"To be fair, Anakin's job here doesn't involve us. It just involves himself, his skills as an artist, and the client, who I'm sure does communicate with him about what they would like as well as feedback. Meanwhile most of us have the job of editing and sometimes we need fresh eyes to catch mistakes, or advice on how to suggest an edit to the client."

"His job seems easy compared to ours. He gets to draw all day."

"Except when he works hard and then the client wants changes that makes him have to nearly start over. He gets frustrated sometimes."

"Has his habit of throwing things died down some? I haven't noticed as much trash lying around on his side of the cubicle when I walk past."

He threw one crumpled up sketch over his shoulder once early on. It hit me in the back of the head to I threw it back. After that, his trash made it to the bin."

"I guess him having a cubicle partner has really straightened him up."

"At least one not afraid to throw paper balls back at his head." Ben laughed.

"I can imagine the look on his face when you threw it back." Kit laughed and took a sip of his punch. "So how long are you staying? Going somewhere exciting?"

"Camping." Ben nodded, "I plan to stay maybe an hour or so, but it's a bit of a drive, so we want to leave at a decent time. We'll be setting up in the dark no matter what, but we still hope to have enough time to wind down and enjoy a campfire before turning in for the night."

"Sounds fun. I hope you get a relaxing weekend."

"I just hope it doesn't rain like it did last weekend."

"Last I saw the weather is supposed to be clear and a little cool."

"That's what it says, but last weekend was supposed to be hot and dry. So who knows."

Kit shrugged. "I hope it's nice for your sake."

"Me too. I'm looking forward to star gazing."

"Star gazing is always so nice. Makes me wonder what's out there." Smiling, Kit finished off his cup of punch. "Anyways, I don't want to hog the whole time you're here at the party. Have fun this weekend." He walked off to talk with a small group of coworkers.

Ben nodded and picked up a little sandwich square from the table before moving to find someone else to talk to.

Before long an hour passed by. Anakin had finished up details with Quinlan about his tattoo and was hanging around the food table, another cup of punch in hand as he glanced around the room. The only person who had talked to him was Quinlan, so standing by himself felt a bit awkward. Despite feeling awkward though, he checked his phone for the time and made his way over to Ben.

"Hey, are you ready to go?"

Ben glanced down at his watch and made a surprised noise, "It's that time already?" he looked up at Adi with an apologetic smile, "Sorry to cut this conversation short, but I meant to leave a half hour ago."

"No problem," Adi replied. "Enjoy your weekend!"

He nodded and walked over to his and Anakin's cubicle to grab his things, then he met up with Anakin by the elevator.

"So how was your first office party?"

"Besides gaining a client, eh. Could have been better. No one really talked to me but Quinlan." Anakin shrugged as he grabbed his things. Then he straightened up. "Oh... I forgot I wanted to tell everyone about us."

"Well, we can either go back, or we can let them know another time and just focus on our weekend for now." Ben suggested.

"You know, I think we'll just wait. I don't want to dwell on anything bad over the weekend."

Ben nodded and stepped into the elevator when the doors opened, then he leaned in to give Anakin a small kiss, "This weekend's all about us."

Anakin smiled. "Nothing but us. Do you have everything packed yet?"

"Yup, including some baked snacks for us to enjoy. We just need to swing by my place to grab everything."

"Cool, I have all my stuff in the car, so it's ready to go. Also my mom said we can stop by the café and get a couple of drinks for the road if we want."

"Sounds great. Your mom makes the best tea." Ben  agreed.

"She makes the best. I'll tell her we're on our way," Anakin said as he pulled out his phone.

Together they made their way to Shmi's car, and Ben slipped into the passenger seat after dropping his things in the back.

Stopping by Ben's home, they gathered the redhead's things for the camping trip and said goodbye to Qui-Gon, then they headed to the café to grab their drinks before at last heading out of town and searching for the perfect camping spot.

As they pulled up the dirt road to the site Anakin had chosen for them, Ben felt his excitement for the weekend mount. "Finally alone." He said when Anakin parked.

"Yep. Nothing but us and nature, and more importantly, no distractions." Anakin smiled and leaned over to kiss Ben's cheek.

Ben smiled before catching Anakin's lips with his own, coaxing him into a deeper kiss before breaking away, "We should get the tent and everything set up."

"Before we get too carried away." Anakin chuckled as he got out if the car and pulled out the tent.

"Do you want to set up the tent or gather wood for the fire?" Ben asked, pulling out their bags.

"I'll set up the tent since I know how to put it up."

"Alright, then I'll take a flashlight and gather wood."

"Don't stray too far, you don't know if vampires roam this land." Anakin chuckled to himself as he started to put up the tent.

"Pretty sure you're the only thing that'll be sucking on my neck tonight." Ben said, pausing to put on bug spray before he started looking for wood.

Rolling his eyes, the blond continued putting up the tent until it was ready for their air mattress to be put in and aired up. Once it was inflated, he used one sleeping bag to act as a sheet over the mattress, then the other as a blanket. Their pillows were placed on top of the sleeping bags, and then Anakin decided everything was set for sleeping.

After gathering armfuls of wood and sticks, Ben started to build a fire pit in a location where the fire should stay contained. He then dug out a match box and started building the flames up.

Anakin moved to help Ben, kissing the redhead's cheek before helping. "Tent and bed is all set up."

"Once the fire settles a bit with a good bed of heat, we can make our dinner."

"Sounds good. I'll set up the chairs and table once we're ready to start cooking."

"Or you could now and we can have a nice place to sit while we wait."

"All right, if you insist." Anakin went back to the car and pulled out the chairs, setting them up around the fire pit. He sat in one while he watched the fire.

Ben tended the fire a little longer before finally getting up and moving to the chair next to Anakin, sitting down with a happy sigh. "Finally."

Anakin grabbed Ben's hand and squeezed it. "Our relaxing can finally begin."

"One full weekend of just us two coming right up." Ben agreed, bringing Anakin's hand up to press a kiss to his fingers.

Anakin sighed and sank into his chair, closing his eyes and listening to the fire and nature. "So glad we were able to get a weekend away. It's nice not being in the city."

"No city, no schedule, just us doing what we want all weekend without any parents to interrupt." Ben agreed.

"Maybe we'll get quite intimate this weekend," Anakin hinted with a smirk.

"It wasn't just a vampire joke when I said you'll be the only thing sucking on my neck this weekend." The redhead flirted.

"Of course, because last time we got really intimate, my dad came and crashed the party."

"Don't remind me." Ben said, scrunching his nose, "At least when my dad interrupted us, he just knocked on the door and told us the rain had let up. Your old creep had to barge in and harass us with his old-fashioned bullshit."

"Sorry about that. If I had known he was going to come over, I wouldn't have gotten so into the kissing."

"If you had known, I'm sure we would have done the movie night at my place."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Anakin smiled as he remembered that night before his father had shown up.

"The mood was right for what we started to do. I don't regret it at all." Ben hummed, looking up at the stars above them.

"I don't either." Instead of looking up at the stars, Anakin looked over at Ben with a smile.

They sat in silence like that for a long, comfortable moment before Ben breathed in deeply and shifted to check the fire. "Looks like we can think about eating something now."

Anakin nodded as he got up. "What would you like? I've got hotdogs and some burgers. We can pull out that makeshift grill to cook the burgers."

"I also packed all the needed things for hobo pies!" Ben grinned, "Pizza flavored."

"We can have those then. Save the easy food to make for tomorrow."

Ben nodded and got up to dig out the supplies needed and bringing it all to the little table they had set up. Then they built their pies and stuck it over the fire to cook.

"We should make these more often," Anakin said when they settled into their chairs again while waiting for their food. "I have a feeling I'm going to love these a lot."

"Have you never had them before?"

"No, when Mom and I go camping we just stick to the hotdogs and s'mores."

"We always have hobo pies at least once." Ben chuckled, pulling his back and opening it to check on it. Deciding the first side was done, he flipped it over to cook the other side.

"Maybe I'll convince my mom to bring ingredients for these next time we go camping." Anakin also flipped his over, judging that his hobo pie looked similar to Ben's.

"I'll let you borrow the…whatever these things are called. We just call them hobo pie makers." Ben laughed, wiggling his.

Anakin chuckled. "I think hobo pie makers is a perfect name for them."

Ben smiled and then checked the second side of his. Deciding it was done, he took it and flipped it onto a plate. "They can be quite hot inside, so it's good to let them cool a bit before biting into them."

"Yeah, I'd rather not burn my tongue." Anakin removed his from the fire and put it on a plate. "Thirsty?"

"Yeah, what's our options?"

"Well, there's water, our drinks from my mom, and a couple sodas. What are you feeling?"

"I finished my tea already. It's just an empty cup." Ben chuckled, "I'll take a water."

"Coming right up." Anakin got up from his chair and went back to the car, returning with his drink from the café and a bottle of water. He handed Ben the water before sitting back down.

"Thank you." Ben opened the water and took a sip before closing it again and setting it aside. After a bit he grabbed his plate back up and carefully took a bite of his dinner. Finding it didn't burn his tongue, he took a second, larger bite.

Anakin also started eating. He let out a satisfied noise, loving the flavors he was tasting. "Yeah, I need to make these more often for sure."

"I'm glad you like them." Ben chuckled.

Together, they ate and made more until they were full, then put the food supplies away again.

Soon there was nothing but the fire and the night sky that caught the two's attention. Anakin stared up at the stars with a blank expression, the sweatshirt he had grabbed keeping him warm as the temperature dropped for the night. His hand held tight to Ben's, his breathing soft and relaxed as he felt at peace.

* * *

To be continued…


	14. Chapter 14

"Ready to turn in for the night?" Ben asked in a gentle voice, his head nestled comfortably on Anakin's shoulder.

"I'm about there, yeah." Anakin rolled his head over to look at Ben with a smile.

"Same…it's been a long day." Ben sighed and shifted to get up, "Come on, we can cuddle as we fall asleep."

Standing up, Anakin reached his hands up, to stretch, groaning as he did so. "I'm glad the weather held out for us. So nice to look up at the stars..."

Ben hummed in agreement and went to the car to grab his bag he had packed his personal items in. Then he slipped into the tent and dug out his pajamas to change into.

Anakin hugged himself for a little bit, standing closer to the dying fire before getting his personal pack and changing his pants into shorts to sleep in. He headed inside the tent with his personal bag in hand, tossing it to the side of the mattress before looking down at Ben who had pulled on a pair of soft looking pajama pants and was shaking out the matching top to put it on over his bared torso.

The redhead glanced at Anakin and smiled, "Do you not normally wear a lot at night?"

"Nah, too many clothes on me at night feels restrictive." Anakin pulled off his hoodie, his t-shirt underneath being pulled up a little, giving Ben a surprise view of his torso. The blond pulled his shirt back down before getting onto the mattress.

"I like to be warm at night." Ben said, slipping his top on and crawling onto their air-filled bed for the weekend. He then slipped under the covers and adjusted his pillow.

"Well maybe I can help you with that." Anakin smirked as he curled up around Ben.

"Are you one of those space heater type men when you sleep?" Ben asked.

"I don't know, never slept with anyone else in my bed before besides my mom when I was little. Sleeping on the couch that one night doesn't count."

"Yeah, it's hard to tell since we were so cramped on top of each other."

"Well, we've got more space this time, so we can spread out just about as much as we want." The blond smiled and kissed the back of Ben's neck.

" _ If _ we want." Ben smirked, snuggling back tighter against the blond.

Anakin chuckled lightly. "You stay warmer if I stay close though, so... I think I'll stay right where I am."

"Good." Ben turned his head to try and catch a kiss.

Anakin propped himself up a bit to initiate the kiss, bringing a hand up to cup Ben's face.

Humming in satisfaction, Ben rolled onto his back, slightly under Anakin as they kissed, his hands slipping around the other's waist.

Shifting so he was over Ben completely, Anakin deepened the kiss, his hand that had been on the redhead's cheek falling down to Ben's chest.

The weight of Anakin atop him was comforting—safe, and it made Ben shiver in an anticipation he didn't expect. Letting out a small moan, he gripped the undershirt Anakin still wore.

Anakin pulled back just slightly to chuckle. "Looks like cuddling won't be the only thing keeping us warm tonight." Not waiting for Ben to respond, he started another kiss, not as gentle as before.

Ben moaned into the kiss again, sliding one hand up Anakin's back and down his tattooed arm.

Anakin's hands moved lower on Ben's body, stopping at his waist and slipping up underneath the redhead's shirt. Their touches were gentle and light, an almost complete opposite to the mood the kiss had.'

Ben shivered again and stretched his body under the touch, "Anakin…" he muttered into the kiss.

Anakin shoved Ben's shirt up to his chest as he moved his lips to the pale skin on Ben's neck. He let out a little groan as he did so.

Ben gave a frustrated noise then shifted to remove his shirt all together, then he started tugging Anakin's up over his head as well.

Finally in a place where they wouldn't be disturbed, Anakin moved down Ben's torso, leaving a trail of light kisses to tease the redhead. He paused briefly to smirk up at Ben.

Ben swallowed and whispered, "Don't stop."

"I don't plan on stopping anytime soon," Anakin said as he pulled back a bit and tugged Ben's pants down just enough so he could start kissing the redhead's hips.

Ben hummed and shifted, "Anakin, I—kissing that low is…um…" his face was bright red, though in the dark of the tent it couldn't be seen. But he knew that if Anakin cared to, he would be able to feel just how hard the redhead had gotten.

"Leading more into heavy petting? Are you okay with that, or should we stop?"

"No, no, it's fine! I just don't want you to be surprised if you go any lower and get a surprise poke to your jaw!" Ben blurted out.

Anakin blinked, then he laughed, collapsing onto Ben's lower body. "Oh god, I love you so much."

Ben felt his cheeks heat even more, "Good to know you love me." He managed to get out.

"I'm sorry," Anakin said as he propped himself back up, smiling. "What you said just amused me." He chuckled again and sighed before kissing Ben's stomach lightly. "I'll keep going, and let me know if I do something you don't like. If this is gonna turn out to be our first time together, I want it to be comfortable."

"I—don't know how much you planned for but I—In the side pocket of my bag, in case we need it…"

Anakin smiled and nodded. "I'll get it when we need it." He ducked his head down to start up his kisses once more, kissing closer to Ben's hips until he was at the other man's pants once more.

Ben reached down, trailing his fingers through Anakin's hair and over the back of his neck.

Anakin shivered a little, but he never wavered from his actions. He tugged Ben's pants down even more until they could be removed completely, leaving Ben in his underwear. Anakin smirked at the very clear bulge the redhead had.

"This is clearly not fair—off with your shorts!" Ben protested teasingly.

"Oh, do I have to? I didn't think that was how this worked." Anakin chuckled as he stood up and hooked his thumbs into his shorts.

"Of course that's how it works—at least until after we go all the way the first time." Ben said, "After that, we can explore more to find what we like the best."

Anakin nodded, then he pulled both his shorts and his underwear down. He fully exposed himself to his soulmate, a smirk plastered on his face in the dim light that filtered into the tent from the moon and the dying fire outside..

Ben's eyes widened and his jaw fell open, "O-oh…"

"Too much too soon?" Anakin lowered himself back down to the mattress.

"I'm just surprised…should I also..?"

"You can if you want. You also have the option of having me take yours off."

Ben hummed, "Would you?"

"Of course." Anakin crawled up to Ben's hips, straddling the redhead as he ran his hands up the pale legs and stopping just above the hips, slowly hooking his fingers into Ben's underwear and pulling them down, all while keeping his eyes locked on Ben's.

Ben shivered and held Anakin's gaze. The way Anakin looked at him as he felt the last of his clothing slide down his legs; it sent a thrill through his very core.

He wanted this, he realized, he wanted Anakin to focus on him, to mess him up, to possess him. He wanted to accept all of Anakin within him, and the idea of it made his member twitch happily upwards.

"Cute," Anakin said with a smile. He reached over to Ben's bag, pulling out the bottle of lube that Ben had brought in case they got this far.

Ben bit his lip and watched, "Should I…roll over or…what would be easiest do you think?"

"Well you don't have to roll over quite yet. But whatever you feel would be easiest for you. You're the one who's going to have a dick in you." Anakin chuckled as he opened the lube and squeezed some out onto his hand.

"I mean for prepping—you aren't going to stick anything in me before making sure my virgin ass can take it!" Ben flushed.

"You'll be prepped before I stick anything in your ass. I know that much at least." Anakin took the lube and started rubbing it over Ben's hole, careful not to put it on too quickly to startle the redhead.

Ben let out a soft noise and rolled over, shifting his knees under him so that his rear lifted up, presenting himself to his soul mate.

Anakin held back a groan as he had a better angle to work with. He worked the lube around, and eventually he started working a finger inside.

Ben let out a surprised hum, glancing back over his shoulder at Anakin and watching his face as he felt the finger slowly work itself in and around his entrance. He had played with himself a little more than usual back there after the soul bond was activated, but it still felt different when it was Anakin's fingers and not his own.

"Does it hurt?" Anakin asked, taking his other hand and started to stroke himself.

"No, the lube is just a bit cold at first." Ben replied truthfully. When he used it, it had always been warm, but he also had been in his bedroom where it was warmer than the tent they were currently in.

"Not too cold?" Anakin worked a second finger in.

"Just enough to be surprising to my senses. But it warms quickly with the friction of you moving your finger."

"Fingers," Anakin corrected with a smile, getting the second finger in as deep as the first.

Ben let out a gasp. "Fingers." He corrected himself.

Anakin worked in the two fingers well and then added a third, adding extra lube as needed, both on Ben and on himself. Eventually Ben was getting prepped quite well and Anakin's cock was lubed up and ready to go when Ben was ready.

And oh, how ready Ben was, making little mewls of pleasure each time one of Anakin's digits so much as twitched inside him.

Judging by how Ben was reacting, Anakin decided it was time to continue. He slowly removed his fingers and leaned forward to kiss the base of Ben's hips before he positioned himself to enter the redhead. Of course, he hesitated and waited for Ben to signal in some way that he was ready.

This was it. He was finally going to make love with his one and only. Ben whimpered and shifted back against the slick head at his entrance. With that being his cue, Anakin slowly slid the tip of his cock inside Ben with a groan. The squeezing around him caused some serious stimulation, and he had to take it slow for more than the sake of not ripping his soulmate in half.

Ben let out a long moan as he felt Anakin slide inside him, his soul mark tingling on his wrist, though neither man bothered to look at their marks as they both bloomed further, the color spreading out from the original shape to form a flower with delicate petals.

Finally Anakin was all the way inside, and he paused to shiver and push through the urge to come already. He draped himself over Ben and kissed his shoulder blade. He started moving his hips back slightly, then he got into a little rhythm that wasn't too ambitious. It was slow and small, just enough to give them both a little simulation.

"Anakin…" Ben moaned into a pillow, parting his legs a little more to accept him.

Anakin groaned and pulled back his hips further. He straightened up his body and grabbed Ben's hips, thrusting faster and deeper to build up more friction.

"Ah— _ ah _ !" Ben gasped, shivering under Anakin's touch. It felt so good the world around them melted away, as did his thoughts and words. It was just the two of them, connected deeply, and it was almost as if he could feel what Anakin was feeling.

Anakin tipped his head back with a moan as he increased the speed again, gripping Ben's hips tight as he thrust into the redhead.

"Ani— _ oh _ !" Ben cried out louder, "Yes—Oh, yes, more!" he reached down between his legs and gripped his own ready cock.

Anakin squeezed his eyes shut. He knew that if he looked at the state Ben was in, he'd be doomed. Just hearing his soulmate moan out his name was almost too much for him. He pushed on though, shifting to thrust in at a different angle while letting out another groan.

Ben shifted then, pushing himself up with his free hand and twisting so that he could capture Anakin's lips with his own.

Kissing Ben fiercely, Anakin wrapped his arms around his soulmate, fucking him hard as he groaned loudly in Ben's ear. His stomach started to knot up as he felt himself grow close to the end.

Ben gasped out with each thrust he took into his heat. Close, he was so close, and he felt desperate for that climax he could feel about to overtake him.

Anakin held Ben tighter and rested his chin on a pale shoulder. He slammed his hips into Ben's several more times with his quick and intense pace, panting heavily as he held on precariously to the edge of his orgasm. In a split moment of decision, he reached his hand down to pump Ben's cock in time with his thrusts.

"More—I'm about to— _ Anakin! _ "

Ben was a mess, evidence of his pleasure spilling over both their hands and dripping down his legs as he whimpered, his inner muscles contracting around Anakin.

Anakin groaned and thrust one last time before he came inside Ben, feeling the pressure that had built up relieve itself. He buried his face in Ben's shoulder as he rode out his orgasm with shaking legs.

Once the orgasm faded away, the two collapsed onto their sides, panting heavily, and not even thinking to move away or loosen their grips.

Enjoying the blissful aftermath of their orgasms, Anakin kissed Ben's shoulder softly, shivering a little as reality came back to him and he was reminded of the temperature outside.

"Heavens," Ben managed to breathe out after a while, "I've never felt so full and  _ wet _ down there." He tried to ignore his shivering as the heat of the moment faded away and the cold night air started sinking into his skin.

Anakin curled up more around Ben with a sigh. "That was really good," he said softly with a smile.

"Are you sure that was your first time doing that?" Ben teased, kissing the arm that wrapped around him right under his chin.

"I do have toys. This was just my first time with a person. I've had plenty of practice."

"Are toys worth it? I mean, I know we have each other now, but I've only used my hand and fingers before."

"Now that I know I have the real thing, I may not use them so much anymore, but they work when you don't have access to the real thing."

"Obviously we don't live together, and I don't think my fingers will be enough anymore, so maybe I'll invest in one for nights I can't have you holding me like this."

"I would recommend it." Anakin smirked and nuzzled Ben's neck.

"Help me choose one once we get back home?"

"I'd be more than willing."

"Thank you." Ben smiled and shivered again, "Where'd our blanket go?" He shifted his hand around looking for it.

Anakin pulled away and shivered as well before he grabbed the blanket and pulled it over the both of them. "It's colder than I remember it being."

Ben nodded and snuggled into Anakin under the covers, "Good thing we can keep each other warm."

"And we have clothes to get back into if we're still cold."

"Too comfy to try and find—even if you are still inside me." Ben smirked.

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Well I can't stay inside you all night long. Besides, we should probably make an effort to clean up before we actually fall asleep."

"Maybe you're right." Ben sighed, reluctantly pulling away to find the flashlight.

"Sorry, but we'll both be more comfortable if we clean up."

"Still just want to cuddle." Ben said, finding the light and switching it on so they could see better as they cleaned up.

"I know, and we can cuddle for the rest of the night, I promise."

"Did you bring a rag or should we use a dirty shirt one of us wore today?" Ben asked.

"I've got some towels and plenty of bottles of water."

Ben nodded, "Good."

They quickly cleaned up the mess in their bed and on themselves from their activities together before getting back into their pajamas and snuggling in for the night, holding each other close.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Ben was the first to awaken to the sound of birds happily singing to greet the sun. He smiled, feeling a telling ache in his rear as he shifted to roll over and look at Anakin's sleeping face. He lifted his hand to brush messy curls away when color on his wrist caught his eye.

Pushing himself up into a sitting position, the redhead stared wide-eyed at his soulmark.

It had—changed.

The  swirling red diamond shape it had once been had spread out, looking like petals to a flower he didn't recognize, and the keyhole shape that had been in the middle had rounded out and filled with the pastel bluish-purple swirls that Anakin's mark had been, which only finished the flower look it had turned into.

Ben grabbed Anakin's hand and unfurled his fingers to look at his mark. It had also changed the same way, only the colors were inverted.

He sat there stunned a moment. He had never heard of a soul mark changing shape before. His father and mother never mentioned theirs changing, and they didn't share colors like this, nor had he read about it happening in any of his romance novels.

Leaning over, he fished his cell phone out of his pants pocket from the day before and turned it on, hoping he had service—he did, though barely, and it was slow as he googled changing soulmarks.

When results came up, there wasn't much to look over; just one link that had all the keywords listed, so he clicked it and waited for the page to load.

Next to him on the bed, Anakin groaned, signaling that he was slowly waking up. He shifted and pulled the blanket up closer to his head, shivering and cracking his eyes open. If he hadn't been with his soulmate, Anakin would have been upset at waking up when he did. Instead he smiled a little and looked up at Ben.

"Hey," he croaked out, voice rough from sleep.

"Morning, Darling, how did you sleep?" Ben asked, looking away from the slowly loading page to smile at Anakin.

"I'd say I slept pretty well. What about you?"

"I slept surprisingly well for being on an air mattress." Ben smiled.

Anakin sat up and yawned. "I figured you'd be watching the sun rise before I woke up."

"I got distracted."

"By what?" Anakin shifted closer to Ben with a curious expression.

"Look at your hand."

Raising an eyebrow, Anakin looked down at his soulmark. "Oh... That's new."

"Yeah, I never heard of soul marks changing like this, so I'm looking to google for answers. It's just slow, and there wasn't a lot of results." Ben said looking back at his phone and finding the page had loaded. He began to read the article.

Anakin wiggled his fingers as he looked at his soulmark. "I've never heard of this either. Maybe it's just something that soulmates have to find out on their own."

"The only article that came up in the search results is talking about an old legend. It says that when a soulbound couple finds each other again after finding each other in a previous life, that having skin-to-skin sex can activate the soulmarks to fully bloom and create an unbreakable bond. Some say the bond has a magical element to it, but of course this is just speaking of an old legend."

"Huh, that's interesting. So if this is true... Then our souls were bound together in a previous life?"

"I guess so. Makes me wonder who we may have been in the historical past."

"Who knows. I just think it's cool that we found each other in previous lives."

"I wonder if were were both still men—or if we were women—or one of each…and if so, if we had children…"

"You ever think about having kids?" Anakin opened up the tent and looked out in the morning sun. "What it might be like to have a house full of smiling faces?"

"Yes. I always enjoyed the thought of being a father."

"I've been back and forth about it. Some days I want them, other days I want nothing to do with them." Anakin shrugged as he stood up. He grabbed his sweatshirt and pulled it on before leaving the tent to start up their fire that had died in the night.

"Well, I'm a guy, so I'm pretty sure I can't get pregnant." Ben laughed, "So we shouldn't get any surprise babies."

"Too bad; we didn't use a condom last night." Anakin chuckled, poking the cold logs with a stick to see if there was any spark left.

"If we did, our marks wouldn't have changed, according to the legend." Ben said, digging through his bag to find a jacket.

Anakin gathered some sticks around and put them on the few sparks he had managed to bring up. "I think it made our first time better, not that I don't like to use condoms. They keep things cleaner than without using one, plus the obvious protection."

"We were each other's firsts, so we wouldn't catch anything, and men can't get pregnant, so really, the condoms would only be for easier cleanup." He said, slipping his shoes on and stepping out of the tent.

"Some men, yeah. But next time we have sex, we’re definitely using a condom."

"I do have a sample pack in the same pocket the lube was in, I guess you didn't realize that."

"Well, I didn't quite feel like using a condom for our first time. Wanted to really feel you." Anakin smirked back at Ben as he started getting the fire going once more.

Ben moved over and kissed Anakin's cheek and gave his butt cheek a squeeze before moving over to step behind a tree and empty his bladder so he'd be ready to help get breakfast around.

Soon the fire was going once more, and Anakin brought out the makeshift grill and a pan he had packed. He was starting to pull food out when Ben returned to help.

"So, breakfast and then sex again?" Ben asked, adjusting the grill grate over the fire.

"Hey, if you're up for it, I'm willing." Anakin smiled at Ben, leaning over to kiss Ben's cheek.

"I didn't think I'd like having sex so much, but here I am wanting more after last night's taste."

"You've only had it once. Must have been pretty good."

"I blame my partner." Ben laughed.

"Must have a really good partner then."

"Yes, and I'm not sharing him." Ben smirked.

"Too bad, he sounds like he performs really good." Anakin chuckled.

"My backside is still tingling in pleasure—though also a bit achy."

"Well if it hurts then maybe we shouldn't have a second round."

"It doesn't hurt—it aches. There's a clear difference." Ben pouted.

"I see, so you want it to hurt then instead of ache?" Anakin laughed.

Ben flushed, "I just want us to feel good like last night."

"Judging by how you reacted last night, I'd say we'll have no problem feeling just as good."

"Judging how I reacted last night and how I feel about it this morning, I'd say you've converted me into a rather…dirty boy."

"Oh yeah? Well I'm not gonna help get you clean, that's for sure."

"Good, I don't want to go back." Ben grinned.

* * *

To be continued…


	15. Chapter 15

As hard as Anakin tried to fall asleep, he kept finding himself staring at the ceiling; sleep eluding him. He looked at his phone for the time. 3 AM. Sighing, he set his phone back on his nightstand and rolled over. He was wide awake, but his body was exhausted from the camping trip. He was hoping to get a good night's rest before going back into work in the morning, but it was clear that wasn't happening. It was like something was keeping him awake, but what, he hadn't the slightest clue. He just hoped his body would exhaust itself enough to make him fall asleep at least for an hour or two.

Then his phone lit up, the ringtone he had set for Ben's number filling the silence of the dark room.

Anakin sighed heavily as he looked back at his phone. He couldn't really be upset at Ben calling him so early in the morning, but Anakin had been trying so hard to fall asleep, only to be woken up fully. Grabbing his phone, Anakin slid the call button over to answer, and he put the phone up to his ear.

"I hope you're actually calling me and not you butt dialing me in your sleep."

"Did I wake you?" Ben asked, his voice low and sleepy.

"No, I've been awake all night. Can't sleep."

"Me either. I'm so tired but something just feels wrong and it's not letting me fall asleep."

Anakin sat up in his bed. "Same, actually... My body is exhausted but somehow something is preventing me from sleeping."

"I tried everything, but then I thought…maybe if you were here—or your voice at least…maybe…"

"If I could come sleep next to you, you know I would. But... I can't leave Mom alone."

"I know…and it's late."

Anakin sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Can we call in sick tomorrow, or is that too suspicious?"

"I'm still too new to the company to feel comfortable doing that." Ben groaned.

"And I'm too loyal of an employee to pull that. Besides, mom would have my skin."

"Stay on the phone as we try to get some sleep then?"

Anakin smiled. "Of course. Maybe we'll actually fall asleep."

"That's what I'm hoping." Ben said. "I know we parted ways only hours ago, but I do miss you."

"I miss you too. This is probably because of the whole soulmate thing. We're not supposed to be apart but here we are."

"So what are we going to do?" Ben asked, "If this sleepless thing keeps happening…"

"We're gonna be dead tired at work." Anakin was silent for a bit. "Maybe we can search for an apartment to live in together, but I still don't want to leave my mom home alone."

"An apartment would be nice…" Ben sighed, "We'll talk more tomorrow. We should try to get some sleep. I have you on speaker so…I'm here."

"Does your phone do video calls? Maybe seeing each other will help."

"Maybe? I've never tried that. How do you do it?"

"Some phones need apps to do it; others have the ability built in already. Usually there's a camera icon next to the phone icon on a contact."

"Um, mine does not. What app do I need to get? Talk me through this."

After a bit, Anakin and Ben we're seeing each other's faces instead of just hearing their voices. Anakin propped his phone up against a pillow, looking lovingly at his soulmate as finally, sleep started to take him, getting his wish of at least a couple hours of sleep to prepare him for the day at work.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Ben woke up to find his phone had not only fallen screen-down on his bed, but had also ended the call at some point during the night. Sighing sadly, he got up and ready for the day before going off to work, feeling exhausted, still.

He stood in the break room, holding his empty mug as he eyed up the coffee machine. He hated coffee, but he felt so drained, and he didn't think his usual tea would be much help.

Ben gave in and reached for the pot of coffee, pouring it into his mug before taking a sip. He grimaced at the taste, but took a second sip anyway as he turned to go to his desk and get to work, halting when his eyes fell upon his Anakin; an energy drink in his hand and dark circles around his eyes. 

Having never been a morning person, Anakin especially hated the morning after barely two hours of sleep. Not only did he not sleep well, but he had also forgotten to eat before he left home, so he had headed to the break room in hopes of finding something to eat there.

Anakin looked up from his phone after taking a drink from the can he carried. He also halted before setting his drink and phone on the nearest surface and he hurried to Ben.

Ben dropped his mug onto the table, though it luckily stayed upright and didn't spill, even as it teetered on the edge, right before he found himself enclosed in Anakin's arms, his face hidden in his shoulder as he gripped the dark fabric of his shirt and just—recharged.

The room went very silent as the two hugged. With all the rumors spreading around, this was one rumor that would be spreading very quickly, whether their coworkers believed it to be true or not.

Anakin sighed as he held Ben close. He felt better with his soulmate close to him. Though he was still exhausted, he seemed to forget how tired he really was while embracing the redhead.

Ben said nothing, nor did he try to pull away. And truly, he felt as if he could fall asleep right there, standing up in Anakin's arms.

Anakin did pull back eventually, his hands resting on Ben's hips. "We should probably go back to our cubicle, just so we don't cause more of a distraction."

"Yeah, sorry, I'm still so tired…" Ben muttered, looking for his mug and picking it up.

"Me too." Anakin grabbed his phone and drink again, along with a donut before walking back with Ben to their cubicle. "Last night was rough."

"Let's not do it again…"

"I agree." Anakin sighed as he set his things on his desk.

"Who's place tonight, then?" Ben asked, sitting down and sipping his coffee.

"Is it alright if we stay at my place? I don't want to spring this so suddenly on my mom with my dad possibly popping in unexpectedly."

Ben nodded, "We'll have to start keeping spare clothing and things at each other's places."

"Already moving in with each other." Anakin smiled and yawned.

"Well, it can't be helped."

"We're eventually going to live together anyways, why not start now?"

"After work, drive me home so I can pack a few things." Ben suggested.

"Deal. We can explain what's going on to your dad too. Maybe he'll have more insight in this situation."

"Yeah, he wasn't home when you dropped me off last night, so I haven't spoken to him at all."

"Hopefully it won't sound like we just can't live without each other now... Which is technically true..."

"I just want to get proper sleep at night. Having you there is just a bonus." He sighed and brushed his hair back, causing it to fluff up out of its neatly combed state.

Anakin took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He smiled at Ben. "Maybe I can convince the boss to let us go home early."

"Let's try to make it through, first."

"Yeah, should probably make an effort to work before throwing in the towel from exhaustion." Anakin sat down at his desk before he looked up to see many coworkers gathered around the cubicle, all staring with wide eyes.

"Uh, Ben... We have company."

"Is it the sandman?" Ben asked, looking over and blinking at everyone who had gathered, "Okay, sandpeople?"

"Is there something going on between you two?" Kit asked curiously, an eyebrow raised.

Anakin glanced at Ben before holding up his hand for everyone to see his soulmark. "Ben and I are together now... we found out we were soulmates."

Ben tugged his sleeve up a little to show his as well.

"I've never heard of soul marks that look like that—two colors? Are you sure it's not just a tattoo?" Adi asked.

"This is what happened when we activated the soul bond." Ben shrugged.

"Mine did change color when I activated my soul bond," Kit said. "But it was never two colors."

"These aren't tattoo's, I promise," Anakin said. "Tattoos on the hands are way too painful anyways. I wouldn't willingly get one there... in most circumstances."

"And why would I get a tattoo that matches Anakin's if we weren't soulmates?" Ben pointed out.

"So... you two really are soulmates?"

Anakin nodded at his coworkers. "Yeah, we're really soulmates."

Ben smiled and reached over to take Anakin's hand, "Surprising, but true."

"Explains why you could stand to share a work space…" one person in back muttered.

"What's going on out here?" The familiar voice of their boss floated into the conversation. "Shouldn't you all be working instead of gathering around Skywalker and Kenobi's cubicle?"

"Mister Windu, sir!" someone squeaked.

"Sorry were causing a distraction, Sir," Anakin apologized.

"It's fine, I am just...having a hard time focusing. And since everyone seems to be here, I have an announcement. It's possible that our company may be bought out in the near future... Which would put you all out of a job."

"What?!" Everyone gasped.

"Why are you selling the company? We're not struggling…" Ben asked.

"We aren't struggling, but the owner of the building was approached by a man who was interested in buying the building to make more offices for his business."

Mace looked over at Anakin. "The man wanting to buy the building mentioned you."

Anakin felt himself go cold. Of course his dad was wanting to buy the building. His anger built up quickly, but he kept it contained, pressing his lips together until they went white.

Ben gripped the armrests on his chair, "Don't tell me…" He looked over at Anakin, "Is this your father? Is it him throwing money around to get back at us because I kicked him out of your house?"

"I don't know," Anakin muttered. "But if this is him getting back at us, he's being unreasonable."

"I'm sorry this is so sudden, but I'm trying to reason with the building owner. All the other companies working here are going through the same thing, and I’m not sure we’d be able to make a move on such short notice with keeping the company in tact." Mace sighed and rubbed his face. "You all can return to work. For now you're still in stable jobs."

"Anakin…you may need to talk to your father to get him to stop…" Ben muttered.

"I know," Anakin said as the others dispersed. "I can already see the cheeky smile he'll have on his dumb fucking face."

"Want me there for moral support?"

"Sure. You can slam a door in his face again."

"That felt good for you to see, didn't it?"

"You have no idea." Anakin chuckled as he remembered that night. "I wish I could have seen his face after the door was closed."

"Well, our bond is even stronger now, so he better watch out of he starts spitting that homophobic crap again."

"Yeah, he was never really a fan of what all was included in soulmates, including the gay couples, and basically anything other than guy and girl relationships."

"So out of touch with reality." Ben sighed and leaned back, "I can't believe he'd take out a whole group of small businesses just to get your attention."

"He just wants me to take over his company. I've told him too many times to count that I don't want his company, but he's so determined that at this point I should expect anything from him."

"I don't know how to help that, but…I'm here for you."

"The only way I can think of that might hurt him is causing his company's finances to crash, but I wouldn't have the slightest clue of knowing how to go about that."

"Revenge isn't what you need, Anakin, you just need him to stop poking his nose into your life."

"He won't stop until he's dead. I'm convinced it's his life goal to get me to take the company."

"Want to just run away and not tell him where we're going? Start a new life someplace exciting?"

"Only if we could take my mom with us. She deserves getting away just as much as we do."

"That's up to her, not me." Ben pointed out.

"She'd love to escape my dad as much as I would... But she wouldn't abandon her café."

"She does have a boyfriend who wouldn't want to leave his flowers, either. She isn't alone if you left. If we left. My suggestion was only half serious."

"If we ever wanted to leave... I would be happy to leave her in the care of your dad."

Ben nodded, "Dad adores her. He'd make sure she wasn't left to her ex's bull."

Anakin nodded and smiled a little. "I don't plan on leaving any time soon, but if we ever do... Well, I guess it won't matter until that time comes."

"We'll figure out what to do soon, I'm sure."

"That's down the path a ways. For now, I just need to figure out what to do about my dad." The blond sighed, taking a sip of his energy drink before getting to work on a book cover for the day.

 

* * *

 

With a yawn, Ben walked into Anakin's bedroom, already in his pajamas and his hair still somewhat damp from his shower. He slipped into the bed and settled against the pillows with a tired sigh. "Come on, bed time. We've been looking forward to this since yesterday when we couldn't sleep." He teased the artist who was sitting at his desk, sketching, or that was what Ben assumed he was doing.

"I know, just let me finish this sketch..." Anakin hunched over his drawing more, getting in some smaller details.

"What are you doodling?"

"Some ideas for Quin's tattoo. I'm planning on hooking him up with my tattoo artist. He's very familiar with my designs, so I figured he'd be perfect for Quin."

Ben nodded, "Who's your tattoo artist?"

"Everyone in the shop called him Maul.  He's inked up quite a bit, but he's a real chill dude just doing tattoos. I should take you in sometime to meet him."

"Sure. But first—sleep."

Sighing, Anakin sat down his pencil and brought over the paper to the bed, showing it to Ben as he settled onto the mattress. He was already in his sleeping shorts. "What do you think?"

"I don't know what he was wanting, but as a design, I think it's very nice."

"He wanted a tribal looking tattoo, but with a sort of futuristic twist to it." Anakin set the drawing on his nightstand and got under the covers. "I'm done for tonight though."

"Good." Ben leaned over him to turn off the light before snuggling in close. "Goodnight."

Anakin kissed Ben's nose with a smile before curling up around him. "Sweet dreams."

"Dream of me if it's a wet one." Ben teased.

The blond lightly punched Ben with a chuckle. "Goodnight," he said a little firmer.

Ben chuckled as he rolled over into a comfortable position.

 

* * *

* * *

 

Anna rode as fast as she could on her horse. Late evening shift was nearly over, and she had to get to the tower of her beloved as quickly as she could. Her heart raced in her chest, almost in time with her horse's hooves galloping across the dirt and grass. At least at night she could be herself around the one she loved, even if it was only during the nights. Some time was better than no time at all.

Gaining a smile on her lips, Anna flicked the reigns, urging her horse to go faster. The tower of the castle was in sight. He beloved was close by once more, and Anna was more than ready to peel off every bit of armor and clean up with the lovely Lady Obelia. Just thinking about being intimate once more made Anna excited. To smell that perfume again, to undress her love, to ravish her all night long and show just how far her love went. Knowing her soulmark was blooming beautifully on her upper arm reminded Anna on a daily basis that she and Obelia loved each other dearly.

Finally Anna returned to the stabled and dismounted, taking care of her horse before slipping in the castle. No one batted an eye at the knight still dressed in shining metal. In fact, hardly anyone even knew she was a woman. Most thought Anna was a man, and her short hair and sharp jawline helped keep that image. She just kept quiet most of the time so as to not expose herself. Not that she had much to worry about. As long as the other knights thought she was a man, she was safe.

Up the stairs she ran, catching her breath as best as she could until she finally came to the Lady's bedroom. She softly knocked, chest heaving as she lifted up her helmet's visor that protected her eyes.

The door opened and there was a flurry of rich brocade and lace as pale, soft arms were flung over armored shoulders. "I've missed you, sir knight." She greeted, uncaring if any of the servants walking the corridor saw them.

Anna laughed as she hugged Obelia. "I've missed you too. Would you allow me to come in? I'm dying to get out of this armor."

"Yes, of course, my rooms are yours." Obelia smiled, stepping back to allow her lover to enter.

"Thank you." Anna entered the room and took her helmet off, sighing as she ran a hand over her sweaty hair. "Sorry I'm disgusting right now. I figured we could clean up together if you haven't already for the night."

"You're in luck; my handmaidens have already drawn me a bath. It should still be nice and hot to soothe your aches."

"Wonderful." Piece after piece of Anna's armor came off, being piled against the wall and out of the way until the knight was out of her armor and in just her undergarments. She sighed happily and closed her eyes briefly before looking back at Obelia. "Let's get cleaned up, then I want to cuddle."

"Help me out of my gown?" she asked, turning her back to show the laces.

With gentle hands, Anna reached forward and started undoing the laces of the gown.  She slipped the sleeves off Obelia's shoulders and planted a small kiss on the pale skin.

She giggled and turned to look at Anna, her soul mark showing bright against the pale skin of her shoulder, "How was your day, Love?"

"Long, hot. Glad I'm back here with you though.  Makes the long day worth it." Anna smiled as she leaned forward to kiss Obelia.

Obelia leaned into the kiss, "Let's go enjoy our bath."

The two were soon in the water and enjoying each other's company as they washed. Anna placed several kisses on Obelia's soulmark as they bathed, and each time sent a pleasant sensation through both, reminded them of how close they were. After the bath, Anna dried the both of them off and dressed her soulmate in her nightgown. They settled down on the bed and curled up with each other, Anna giving off a happy sigh.

"I love you so much," she whispered. "I’ll love you until the day we die."

"I’ll love you beyond." Obelia responded.

"Beyond this life. That's evident from our soulmarks." Anna looked at her lover's soulmark, noting how different the shape and color was now compared to when they first met.

"Are you wondering about past lives again?" she hummed.

"A little. Makes me wonder when our souls met for the first time." Anna settled deeper into the bed and wrapped an arm around Obelia's waist.

Our dreams haven't shown us that first meeting…I fear it was tragic…" Obelia shivered.

"Why? Do you think our souls met for the first time and then died immediately after?" The shorter haired woman laughed.

"Society isn't always kind. Even more so the further back you look… There are times in history soulmates are rejected. Stay within your class, a man takes a wife, not a husband. There are times of old where anyone found with color within their marks were beheaded."

Propping herself up on her elbow, Anna looked down at Obelia. "Society isn't kind even now. If anyone in the Knights ranks found out I was a girl, I'd be killed on the spot. And yeah, men taking husbands and women taking wives is a little more accepted now, but we're still in danger because of our ranks. A lowly Knight like me isn't supposed to be in love with a lady such as yourself, even if we're soulmates." She cupped Obelia's face and smiled. "But none of that means that we're gonna be taken from each other early. If we do the right things, we'll be safe."

"It's not fair—I wish I wasn't the king's niece. I want to marry you, be with you—not…" she sighed and sat up, looking down into her lap as she fiddled with the covers, "…The King has chosen a man for me to wed. A political union for continued peace between our country and his…"

"What?" Anna sat up with wide eyes, voice sounding surprised and hurt at the same time. "Obi, when did this happen?"

"Today. At least, I found out today." She muttered, "My intended will be traveling here to meet me, and if he agrees, he'll be taking me back with him… I—I'm just a pretty face to be given."

"No... There's got to be some way you stay here. We can't be separated!"

"I have no say in this, Annie, I'm just…" she turned to face Anna, taking her hands, "If I stay here I'll be given away—but if we…ran away…together…"

"You know I'd run away with you in a heartbeat. You'd just have to say the words..."

Obelia paused for a long moment, closing her eyes, "Run away with me."

Anna kissed her soulmate with a smile. "Let's run away together."

The redheaded beauty flushed gently and nodded,  "We have some time to plan our escape."

"I hope our plan doesn't flop. I couldn't stand being separated from you like your uncle is planning."

"I hope so, too. We could sell some of my jewels for coin to get us started in a new life. It'll be hard, I know, but I'd rather a common life with you, than a privileged one with some man I've never met."

"I'll sell some of my things to help us out. Hell, maybe I'll build us a house." Anna smiled and nuzzled her soulmate's shoulder. "I'm still going to protect you, after all."

"We'll find a way to get by." She nodded. "I love you so much, Anna."

"I love you more." Anna smiled as she closed her eyes and held Obelia closer.

"Impossible, my dearest. Simply impossible." Obelia pressed a few light kisses to Anna's bare shoulder.

 

* * *

* * *

 

As Anakin woke up in the morning, he stretched before opening his eyes to see Ben curled up beside him, looking peaceful, and honestly quite cute in his sleep. The blond smiled and gently nudged the redhead. "Hey, time to wake up."

Ben shifted and curled up more into the pillow, "Too Early, Anna…" he mumbled, still clearly too deep within sleep's grasp.

Anakin blinked. Did Ben have the same dream he had in the night?

"Ben, we gotta get up for work."

"Five more minutes…" his hand reached to pull Anakin back down to the pillow.

Leaning down, Anakin kissed Ben's cheek. "If I let you sleep five more minutes, we'll be late to work."

Ben groaned and shifted, opening his eyes and blinking up at the blond, a slight look of confusion before recognition registered on his features, "Oh! Anakin."

"Morning sunshine." Anakin smiled at his soulmate and kissed his cheek again.

"…I had a strange dream—you were a woman named Anna—and a knight no one knew was female, except me."

"You had that dream too?"

"You did?"

Anakin nodded. "Felt like a past life of ours."

"It felt so real. Like I could remember the touches on my skin that you—Anna placed there. And the nerves I felt when I—um, Obelia, was confessing the arranged marriage…"

"It was like we were reliving that moment as them..."

Ben pushed himself up onto his elbows, quiet for a moment, "…Was I pretty as a woman?"

Anakin chuckled. "The prettiest."

"You were quite beautiful, too." Ben chuckled.

"I would hope so. Now let's get ready for the day. I'd rather not be late for work."

"Right—work, not needlepoint…" Ben sighed and pushed himself up fully to stretch.

"If it makes you feel better, I do feel like I need to suit up in armor and go... Ride a horse or something."

"Your bike may count as a horse these days?" Ben laughed.

"I guess it would, yeah." Anakin searched his room for some clothes before he got out of bed.

"We riding together today?" Ben asked, rolling out and moving over to where he had placed his carefully folded clothes for that morning.

"Yeah, if you want to. Did you bring your helmet?"

"I think it's in the back seat of your mom's car."

"We'll grab it on our way out then." Anakin yawned as he dressed himself.

"Mind if I grab use of the bathroom first?"

"We're not leaving just yet. You've got time."

"My bladder would disagree." Ben shrugged, pulling his pants up before moving to the door.

"We'll at least grab something to eat before we leave the house. I couldn't make it to lunch if I didn't eat anything this morning."

"I won't be long."

Anakin gathered up his personal items and stashed them in his pockets before stopping in front of the mirror and readjusting his outfit briefly. He wandered out of his bedroom while scratching his arm, noting to himself that he needed to brush his hair. He found himself in the kitchen, where his mom had left a note for the two of them before she had left to open her cafe. She had left some breakfast for them in the refrigerator.

Once he was done in the bathroom, Ben finished dressing and went out to join Anakin, "Your mom leave already?"

"Yeah, she left us food though." Anakin pulled out the container of eggs and sausage and heated it up in the microwave. "You like anything on your eggs?"

"Depends." He shrugged, "I'm not picky this morning."

"Cool. I usually just eat them plain."

Ben nodded, getting out glasses for their juice. "How many lives do you think we've had together?"

Anakin shrugged. "Ten, twenty?"

"You think that many?"

"Maybe. Anna and Obelia were from probably late medieval times, so that would be around that many at least... I think."

"It's possible we had lives where we didn't find each other or couldn't spend together." Ben pointed out.

"Like this time almost was."

"We're young yet, we had plenty of time left—even if you got that horrible tattoo."

Anakin shrugged. "I wonder if we'll have more dreams like that, showing past lives."

"Maybe. It seems Anna and Obelia both had dreams, too, and often enough where they could wonder about one they haven't seen."

"I wonder how often they had those dreams. We didn't have one that first night we went camping, or the second night."

"We'll have to wait and see. Maybe we'll figure out why and when we'll see more of our past sel—" Ben cut himself off, his jaw clenching as he looked out the window behind Anakin.

Anakin looked away from the microwave and at the redhead. "Ben?"

"Seems we have a visitor this morning."

Anakin turned to look out the window where Ben was looking. Staring right at him was his father.

"Fuck."

"What do you want to do?" Ben asked as the man moved from the driveway outside the window, towards the door.

"We need to go out the front door eventually," Anakin muttered. "I'm not answering if he knocks or rings the doorbell."

"We'll be late for work if we try waiting him out."

"I won't wait it out. I'll ignore him if he tries to talk to either of us. Good thing my bike is loud." Anakin took out their breakfast from the microwave and split it in half, one half on a plate, the other staying in the bowl.

"How about we sneak out a window?"

"My bike is out front, so we'd still have to face him." Sighing, Anakin gave Ben the plate and grabbed a fork for him. "I don't know what to do," he said through a mouthful of eggs.

"I want to go back to bed and be Obelia again, running away with my knight and not having to deal with that man." Ben sighed, sitting down with his plate.

"No kidding. He's a pain in the ass."

"I know you're home, Anakin." Sheev's voice called out suddenly.

Anakin took another bite of his food, rolling his eyes. "I'm not answering," he told himself.

"Work is canceled for the day, for you. If you want me to withdraw from the sale and save the jobs of every person in that building, you'll negotiate with me this morning."

Anakin's eyes went wide, his head turning to the door. "What?!"

"Talk to me properly, my boy, and we both may get what we want."

Anger rising, Anakin went to the front door and yanked it open. "What the fuck did you do to my job?"

"I just got you the day off, don't be so dramatic."

"I have to go to work, I have a book cover due today! Plus I'm Ben's ride to work."

"I took care of it. That boss of yours was one of many begging me to consider another building for my needs, and I agreed to  _ consider  _ other options if you got the day off for a little father-son time. He agreed. And now it's up to you if I'll walk away from that deal I had going. Will you be stubborn and doom so many hard working people, or will you humor me today?"

Anakin was speechless for a bit. He looked back at Ben, then back at his father. He didn't know what to do. He had been looking forward to work that day, maybe enjoy the nice ride to work with Ben holding on behind him. Now, he had a manipulative father to deal with and a soulmate to get to work before he was late.

"You let me take Ben to work first. Then we meet back up somewhere public. I won't have you coming in my home with this bullshit you're pulling."

"Ben? Ah, the bearded pretty-boy." The man shook his head, "My driver will take him to work."

Anakin clenched his teeth together. "Not a single hand touches him, you hear me?"

"Why would I touch him?" He snapped his fingers and his driver hurried over. "Amedda, take Benjamin here to work while I have some quality time with my son." He said.

Ben narrowed his eyes, "It's Ben. And don't you lay a single hand on  _ Anakin. _ " He said, not stepping away from his soulmate.

"Let him finish getting ready for the day, jeez," Anakin said. "We didn't wake up that long ago."

"You sure you want to do this? I can call in late and just make it up by staying late at work today." Ben offered gently as he turned his attention to Anakin.

"If I don't do this, our company will be gone quicker than we can comprehend."

"I meant alone. I'll stay with you if you want me to."

"Of course I want you to stay because I know you'll be safe, but I don't know how long this will take."

"I'll stay if you ask me, regardless of how long it takes." Ben insisted.

Sighing, Anakin looked back at his father. "Ben stays until we're done talking. He's a part of my life now, so he has a say in what goes on here. No negotiations."

Ben nodded, "I'll go let work know." He said, moving to find his cell phone which was left back in Anakin's room on the charger.

Sheev sighed and moved to sit down in the livingroom, "Very well."

Anakin took in a deep breath before closing the front door and heading to the living room. He rolled up his sleeves before he sat down. "Okay, what do you want?" he asked his father, sounding tense.

"You know what I want. I want you to take your proper place at my company. It's clear you won't just accept it, so let's discuss options. What you want in exchange."

"The only thing you could give me that I would want in exchange is you staying out of both mine and my mom's lives  from now on."

"Not completely possible, my boy. But outside work…I can offer you that I'd leave your mother alone completely, and I won't protest your little affair with that Benjamin fellow." He gestured to the other room.

"It's not an affair, he's my soulmate. And I won't accept this unless you leave us alone completely, 24/7."

"Not entirely possible, as I said before. At work we'd need communications, at least until I retire and leave it all to you."

"You've been running that company just fine without me, you can go without me until you retire or die, whichever comes first."

"No man's immortal, Anakin, my boy. I can not continue on forever."

"Good, maybe your company will collapse after you're gone."

"Anakin." He said firmly, warning in his tone.

"You know damn well I don't want anything to do with your company. If you're giving it to me, I'm letting it flop."

"It is our family's legacy, Anakin Skywalker-Palpatine. You would do well to put aside your childish rebellion."

"If there's anyone acting childish, it's you. You don't know how to take no for an answer. You've been stalking my mom and I every moment you can just to push your company on me." Anakin sighed heavily. "I don't want your company, but I will allow my name to be put into the company only if you leave us alone unless it's an extreme emergency."

"You'll have responsibilities with the company, but I can allow my assistant to contact you on most of those things."

"The least amount of contact with you is preferable. And just to be clear, this includes you not coming around this house or mom's café to bother us. You contact only me and only about company related stuff."

"That's all I need you for, my boy." He insisted.

"What a shitty father." Ben said, standing at the end of the hall that leads to the bedrooms and bathroom.

"Then I guess... We have an agreement."

"Good. I have some paperwork for you to sign." Sheev said, opening his brief case.

"Explain everything to me, I don't want to be signing something that sells my soul to the devil or anything like that."

"Pretty sure you already are, from what I know of this man who calls himself your father." Ben huffed, making Sheev's face darken in contained anger or annoyance.

Going through the paperwork, Anakin confirmed that he wasn't signing into anything unexpected, made amendments, and soon his signature was on several of the pages.

"There, everything is signed. Can you get out of my house now?"

* * *

To be continued…


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! We now have a new cover art made by bigwolfpup that can be seen at the beginning of chapter 1! Go enjoy. Didn't bother with Anakin's tattoos so ignore that lack of detail.

Anakin made his motorcycle go as fast as he dared. He had given Ben his helmet so the redhead would feel safer clearly going over the speed limit. Anakin had to tell his mother about the situation, and he hoped that his father would keep his word and finally leave them alone.

When they arrived at the cafe, Anakin jumped off and hurried inside after helping Ben off. "Mom, we have a situation," he announced quite publicly.

She looked up from an order she was preparing for a customer, "What happened? Are you okay?"

Anakin sighed. "Sheev came by again... and I had to make a deal with him this time. Finish up that order though, it's a lot to take in."

"Go take a seat and I'll be right over, dear." Frowning, she did so, giving it to the customer and calling her working employee to take over in the front while she dealt with her son.

Anakin went to his usual table, glancing over all the drawings he had made over the years. He sighed and ran his hands though his hair.

Ben sat next to him, holding his hand, but not speaking. He didn't know if he should say anything, or what he should say if he should.

Shmi finally joined them, sitting across from the two young men, "What happened?"

"Okay, so yesterday our boss came out and said that the building we work in was possibly going to be bought out by Sheev's company, and that would mean us losing our jobs, as well as everyone else in the building. Today he came by and said that I had the day off because he talked to our boss and said that if he could get me off for the day, he would reconsider buying the building. I even had a book cover due today!"

Anakin huffed before continuing. "So Sheev wanted to make a deal, talk things through, getting me to get my name on the company ownership. He basically said that if I didn't get my name on the ownership, then he was going to buy the building and leave a lot of people out of the job. I didn't have a choice. I couldn't put that many people out of a job. But I did manage to negotiate with him... He's going to leave us alone now, Mom. I mean, he'll have one of his employees contact me for business stuff, but other than that, we won't hear from him, if he keeps up his part of the deal."

"So, he got tired of waiting." She sighed, "I'm sorry, sweetie. I know you never wanted all this."

"Don't be sorry. I got him to finally back off, hopefully. I'm hoping a big stress in our lives is finally over."

"I'm still sorry. He got what he wanted, which is something you never wanted."

"Victory at a small price. As soon as he retires, that company is going down the hole."

"Sell it." She shook her head, "The company employs many and does do a lot of good in the world. It'd be better to sell it to someone who would keep it going, while you return to your art."

"That would give us plenty of money to live off of too... But I have no idea when Sheev plans to retire."

"I can't say, dear." She shook her head, "Do the two of you want something to drink?"

"Water's fine for me," Anakin said as he sat back.

"Nonsense. I'll get you your usual—you too, Ben, dear." She insisted.

"If you have customers don't worry about getting us our usuals."

"I have an employee handling them for the moment, and you look like you could use something nice this morning."

Anakin sighed. "Yeah... You're the best, Mom."

She patted his hand before getting up.

"You okay?" Ben finally asked quietly.

Anakin shrugged. "Honestly, I kinda feel like I'm in a daze."

"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you."

"I don't know. I mean if he keeps up his part of the deal, I'm feeling pretty good right now. I have a feeling though he won't keep his word. He is the owner of a big business after all."

"I was there witnessing everything. If he goes back on his end, then those signatures are void."

"True. I could be in luck if he fucks up."

"Especially with the contract with the negotiation conditions you two made up while going over everything else and signing. Just don't lose your copy."

"It's safely in my room right now. As long as nothing happens to my room, it should be safe."

"Good, we should get a fireproof lock box for it." Ben decided.

Anakin nodded. "I can grab one today after I take you to work."

"I'll drop off that cover file for you—to Mister Windu himself, right?"

"Yeah." Anakin sighed. "I wish I could work today. I need something to get my mind off of my dad."

"Why not try planning us a nice weekend date again? I know it's my turn  to make plans, but it could be a nice distraction."

"I might. Maybe I'll go to a pet shelter too and look at dogs."

"There you go. A nice plan that will distract you with puppy kisses for the rest of the day."

Anakin chuckled. "Hopefully. Maybe I'll get too excited about a dog and go buy stuff for one."

"Enjoy the pups, either way." Ben said as Shmi approached with two hot drinks to give them.

"Thanks Mom," Anakin said as he took his drink. "I'll probably be home most of the day, so if you need anything, call me."

She nodded, "Though I have plans with Qui-Gon later, so I won't be coming home right away after work." She said.

"That's fine. Don't be surprised if you come home to a bunch of puppy stuff." Anakin smiled.

"Or the two of you making out in the kitchen—again." She chuckled, "I'm getting back to work and will see you tonight."

"See you." Anakin stood up with his drink. "You ready to go?" he asked Ben.

"Yeah, can't avoid work completely." Ben nodded, "And the sooner I get there, the less late I'll have to work to stay on top of my work load."

"Wouldn't want you to stay too late and miss out on cuddle time before bed." Anakin smirked as they headed out of the café.

"Your place again tonight, or mine?" Ben asked, sipping his tea down so it'd be less likely to spill on the ride.

"I'm not too concerned about my dad now. We can stay at your place tonight."

Ben nodded, "Good. Basil will be grouchy if I stay away for too long. She's clingy like that." He chuckled, handing Anakin his cup while he slipped on the helmet.

"Does she like to sleep with you?"

"Yeah, she normally curls up at the foot of my bed—attacks my toes sometimes."

"Getting my toes attacked by a cat will be a new experience. I know what it's like to have a dog sleep at my feet though." Anakin slid into his bike, putting his drink in the cup holder attached to his handlebars.

"She's gentle about it. It tickles, mostly. A little scraping from her teeth, but she never uses her claws."

"Reassuring. Hold on tight to your drink," he said as he put the keys into the bike's ignition.

"And you, Mister McSpeedy." Ben chuckled, adjusting himself as best he could while also holding his cup.

"If mine spills, I can come back for another after I drop you off." Anakin chuckled as the bike roared to life, taking them off to their workplace.

"I meant me—holding onto you—so I don't spill." Ben muttered, settling his cheek on the back of Anakin's shoulder.

Soon Ben was dropped off and Anakin was heading back home with a sigh.

 

* * *

 

 When Ben finally finished work for the day, he got a ride over to Shmi’s café where he got himself some tea and a snack from the baristra that was working in the owner’s absence. Calling Anakin had only gotten him to voicemail, so he’d left a message for Anakin to meet him at the café when he could.

While he waited, he pulled out a pad of paper and a pen to start writing.

It was about half an hour before the roar of Anakin’s bike could be heard pulling up to the café, then it abruptly went silent as the blond turned off the bike’s engine. The little bells attached to the top of the front door jingled as it opened, Anakin walking in with his helmet in hand.

Ben looked up and smiled, waiting for Anakin to get a drink and join him before speaking, “How was your day off?”

"Great, I bought way too many things to bring home a new dog." Anakin smiled as he kissed Ben's cheek before sitting down.

“Spoiled puppy.” Ben chuckled, “Have you found a puppy to adopt yet or no?”

"Not yet, I figured we could go look together."

“Of course. I’d be happy to go meet puppies with you.” Ben smiled.

"Great, would you want to go now? After you change that is."

“Are any shelters still open this late?” Ben asked.

"There's one shelter open for another hour. If we hurry we can make it in and look at dogs at least. If we need to go back tomorrow, I'm sure we can find time to do so."

"Alright." Ben closed his notepad and tucked it and his pen away in his bag before finishing off his tea and standing up.

"So, so by your place to change, and then go to the shelter?" Anakin picked up his helmet and his drink.

"If there's enough time to change." Ben nodded, taking his empty mug over to the counter before walking out with his lover. 

"Well, if we skip the changing for now, we'd have more time to look, and I've decided that's what we're going to do now." Anakin smiled as he handed Ben his helmet. "Sorry, but you'll have to wait to change."

"It's fine. I'll be able to shower once we get home this way." Ben put on his helmet and climbed on the bike, making sure his bag was secure before hugging Anakin.

Off the two went to the shelter Anakin had mentioned. The blond had spent entirely too much money of dog supplies, but he couldn't help that he was very excited to have another dog. It had been far too long since he and his mother last had a dog in the house, so it was time to change that.

Pulling into the shelter's parking lot, Anakin could already see several dogs gathering and barking at the loud motorcycle. He almost laughed at how loud the barking was when he shut his bike off.

Ben took off his helmet and tucked it under his arm before taking Anakin's hand, "Let's go see if there's a perfect match for you--who is also good with cats as he or she will have an older feline sister to get along with."

"I'm almost positive there's a dog here that gets along with cats just fine. "

“We’ll just have to look and see.” Ben stepped forward and held the door open for Anakin to enter first.

The blond went into the shelter and was greeted by an older cat with longer hair that just had to have pets from the new people. Anakin chuckled and bent down to pet it, getting a satisfied purr from the happy cat.

“Hello,” the person at the front desk said with a smile. “Can I help you guys?”

“Yeah, we’re looking for a dog,” Anakin responded. “A bigger one preferably, but we’re willing to look at everything you’ve got.”

“Great,” the receptionist said, getting up from her seat. “Anything particular qualities you’re looking for? Good with kids, other pets, prefers to be alone, lots of energy, no energy?”

“Good with cats is most preferable.”

“Okay, I have a few in mind for you. One can be a bit protective, but he’s a total lovebug if I’ve ever seen one. Once he’s been around another pet or family member for a little bit, he’ll get along with them just fine.” She led the two men to the dog pens, a barrage of barks and whines suddenly erupting into the air.

“So first here we have Avalon,” the receptionist introduced a beautiful black lab mix. “She’s gentle and good with kids, but also cats. She’s two years old and has been spayed, and she’s up to date with all her shots. Most of our dogs here are, all of the adoptable ones are for sure up to date, as well as spayed or neutered.

“Next is Russet. A good hunting dog if you live on a farm. We recommend a large yard if you adopt him.”

She went through a few more dogs before arriving at the last one, a husky mix with bright blue eyes that cautiously watched every move the three humans made. “This is Artoo. Husky mix about six months old. Poor guy has been here since he was old enough to be sold, so he doesn’t know what love from a family is like quite yet.”

Anakin knelt down and held his hand up to the pen, letting Artoo sniff it. “Artoo. Cool name, how’d you guys come up with it?”

“The man who brought him in had him in a box labeled with R2-D2 on it. We just spelled out the first letter and number combo, and now that’s him!”

“R2-D2 sounds like a machine part or something. Pretty metal.” Anakin smiled as he looked into Artoo’s eyes. “I may have to come back and look at you, buddy.”

“And he’s good with cats? I have a cat at home, so it’s important that he’ll play nice with her once she warms up to the idea of having a dog around. Dogs don’t stress her out, but she’s a bit of an attention-hog when other animals are around.” Ben explained.

“Oh yes, since he grew up here, he’s spent time with some of the cats and kittens we’ve had over the months. He knows to play more gently with them than when he’s playing with other dogs.”

“Then I suppose I’ll allow my soulmate to fall in love with this pup he’s already making heart-eyes at.” Ben chuckled.

“Would you like me to open the door so you can interact with Artoo more directly?”

“Absolutely,” Anakin said with a big smile. “Hell, if we can take him out to one of the yards to play with him, that’d be even better.”

The girl smiled and nodded. “I’ll go get a collar and leash then, and we can take him out  to run him around for a bit.”

Anakin continued to let Artoo sniff and lick his hand until the girl came back, and that was when Artoo decided to become vocal, whining and barking when he saw the collar and leash. His tail wagged very fast, and he backed away from the door when the girl opened the pen door.

“He’s a smart boy,” Anakin remarked as the girl took Artoo out of the pen.

“He’s very well behaved. It won’t be hard to train him. He loves to play fetch too, so he’ll love lots of running.”

“He’ll get plenty of that if I adopt him.”

Out in one of the fenced yards that was empty, the girl finally unhooked the leash and watched as Artoo zoomed around excitedly. Anakin laughed as he was handed a ball, and off he went tossing the ball to Artoo and playing fetch. Watching the two was like watching a little boy and his dog making the most fun out of summer vacation.

“Looks like the two are connecting very well,” the receptionist said to Ben.

“I can’t argue that.” Ben chuckled, “What’s the adoption process like here?”

“We fill out some paperwork, then you’ll have to wait a day or two as we run a background check to make sure you haven’t been charged with animal abuse or are involved with things like dogfighting or puppy mills. Once you pass that, we give you a call so you can come in and finalize the adoption and take home your new fur baby.” she explained, “The dog you are looking to adopt will be on hold during the background check as well, so you won’t have to worry about another family adopting him first.”

Ben nodded, “Probably for the best. We took his bike here instead of the car.” Ben looked back at Anakin just in time to see him go down with Artoo on top, coating his face with slobbery kisses.

Artoo and Anakin played around for a bit longer before the girl announced they had to put Artoo back in his pen, since it was close to closing time and there was paperwork to be filled out if Artoo was going to be considered for adoption.

Anakin let Artoo lick him a couple times before the dog was put back into his pen, and he lingered a bit before backing away and heading back to the front of the shelter with Ben and the girl. “He’s such a good dog… I really think he’s the one.”

“I would be disappointed if you didn’t want to take him home,” the girl said, pulling out the paperwork necessary to fill out. “If you want to adopt, I’ll need you to fill out this paperwork, then we’ll run a background check on you, and if you pass, you can pick him up and pay the fee in a couple days. We’ll call you when he’s ready.”

“Great.” Anakin eagerly took a pen and filled out the paperwork, excited that he was getting another dog again. “Can’t wait to hear back,” he said when he had finished, handing the papers to the girl.

“We’ll give you a call in a couple days,” the girl repeated, filing the paperwork away.

Ben slipped his arm around Anakin with a smile as they walked over to the bike again, “You looked so happy playing with Artoo.”

“He was such an amazing dog, Ben. I felt really happy with him, like I did when we still had Threepio.” Anakin sighed. “But at least I have plenty of time to warn my mom now about Artoo.”

“Warn her, get the house ready—and my apartment ready. We can keep a dog bed and a few toys and extra leash at my place for when you bring him over. It’ll also keep his scent around so Basil will get used to him faster.” he said, putting on his helmet and getting on the back of the bike.

“We can go shopping tomorrow after work,” Anakin said before starting up the bike and driving them back to his house for the night.

 

* * *

 

After showering and changing into his pajamas, Ben curled up on the couch with a cup of tea and his notebook, Basil curling in his lap and falling to sleep to trap him there. Anakin was taking his turn in the shower, and Qui-Gon was doing something down in his shop, so the apartment was quiet and peaceful, offering no distractions as he put pen to paper.

Anakin didn't take much longer in the shower. He came out with a light T-Shirt and his sleeping pants on, yawning as he settled into the couch next to his soulmate. He briefly touched their soul marks together before looking down at the notebook in Ben's hands.

"What are you writing down?"

“Ever since we caught that glimpse into our past life, I’ve been thinking of writing their story. I’ve been compiling notes and starting an outline--that is, unless you don’t want our past story to be turned into a book…”

Anakin smiled. "I think it's a great idea. Let the world know that souls can find each other in multiple lives."

“I’m glad you approve.” Ben grinned, “I hope we dream of that life more so I have more accurate details to add to my notes. Otherwise there’ll be a lot of creative liberties padding the story.”

"Who knows, maybe we'll dream of it tonight." Anakin kissed Ben's cheek with a smile.

“Maybe.” Ben looked lovingly up at his soulmate, “I’d also love it if you’d read over my book and offer Anna’s point of view on the scenes or details you know that I don’t. And maybe if you’ll do the artwork for the book once it starts getting closer to when I can present it for publishing.”

"I'd love to do both. This is about both our souls after all."

“Then I’ll let you know when I have sections of my rough draft completed for you to look over with Anna’s eyes.” he purred, coaxing Anakin into a kiss.

Anakin willingly went in for the kiss, his grip on Ben's wrist tightening a little.

“...bedroom?” Ben muttered into the kiss.

"You read my mind," Anakin said with a smirk.

“We just have a sleeping cat to move, and we’ll be free to go.” Ben chuckled.

"Easy enough of an obstacle." The blond stood up and stretched before reaching down to pet Basil.

The cat gave a sleepy merr and lifted her head to blink up at him.

“Easy for you, maybe. I never have the heart to move her when she’s so comfortable and happy in my lap like this.” Ben said.

"Well she has plenty more chances to be in your lap, but it's my turn to sit there." Anakin picked up the cat and pet her some before putting her on the ground.

Basil gave a grumpy whine and turned to look up at the two men. But when Ben stood up and it was clear she wouldn’t get her spot back, she padded away and turned into Ben’s room.

Ben chuckled and looked at Anakin, “Hope you don't mind if she watches.  My room is her second favorite place to be after my lap.”

"As long as she doesn't try to steal you away from me." The blond smirked and pulled Ben into a heated kiss just outside the bedroom door.

“She’s my baby, Anakin, not my soulmate and boyfriend.” Ben tugged Anakin into the room and nudged the door shut with his foot before dropping his notebook and pen on the nearby desk. He then broke their kissing to glance around and check that Basil wasn’t on the bed before he pulled Anakin back onto it.

"Then I guess I don't need to worry about her." Anakin was quick to push Ben into his back and pin him down with more passionate kisses and some light touches. 

“No jealousy needed.” Ben smiled, tugging Anakin’s t-shirt up to remove it.

The kissing paused just long enough for Anakin to lose his top, then they were back to passionately expressing their love for each other. Anakin felt his pants get tighter the longer they kissed and touched, and he smiled at his growing excitement.

“Lube and condoms are in the drawer.” Ben panted, “Grab the bottle and two condoms so we won’t have a mess.”

Anakin grabbed what they needed to not make a huge mess, setting the condoms and lube to the side so they were closer when the time came to use them. With those things ready, the blond went back to kissing Ben, his hands roaming about the pale skin of his soulmate. He groaned when their hips brushed together ever so lightly.

Ben moaned, kissing Anakin back as he worked open the buttons of his pajama top until it fell open to expose his chest so he could press it to Anakin’s bare torso and enjoy the skin to skin contact.

Anakin pressed a hand against Ben's chest, running it down the redhead's torso until it brushed lightly over Ben's crotch. It wasn't long before Anakin decided to lower his hips and grind against his soulmate as he continued to kiss Ben.

Ben groaned and shifted under him, his hands moving to settle on Anakin’s hips. “We want to try anything new this time?” he asked, pleasure making his voice moany.

"Let's just keep it simple this time. Don't want your dad to get suspicious." Anakin smirked.

“We aren’t teenagers, he can’t say anything and he knows it. Besides, he’s not here.”

“Well, I’d rather he not come running up the stairs when you scream out my name.” 

“I think he’ll know that it’d not be an emergency if I’m screaming your name from my bedroom. Come on, don’t be afraid to make me scream your name.” Ben purred, nipping and tugging lightly at Anakin’s earlobe.

“Challenge accepted.” Anakin pinned his soul mate to the mattress and commanded him to stay put, to not move a muscle while he made the move to remove both his and Ben’s pants and undergarments, leaving the both of them naked and ready for whatever potential fun awaited them as they got intimate with each other once more. Anakin got back over Ben and urged him to turn over onto his back, grabbing the bottle of lube as he did so.

Ben did as he was told and shifted so his back was curved and his head was against the mattress as he grabbed one of the condoms and he worked it open before slipping the slippery sleeve over his own erection so that when he came, the mess would be contained. Once he was done, he used his arms to prop himself up properly again and glanced back over his shoulder at Anakin who was warming the lube on his fingers.

The blond didn’t wait too long before he put a lube-covered finger against Ben’s entrance, slowly working it in while also prompting the redhead to spread his legs more. Anakin’s cock twitched in excitement, a slight shiver running through his body at the thought of other people hearing Ben cry out his name.

Ben hummed, unashamed as he pressed against the finger and wiggled his hips a little. “Fuck, I’m such a slut for you, Ani.”

“Yes you are, show me how much of a slut you are.” The blond started working in a second finger before the first one was even doing much work to make Ben feel good.

Again, the redhead shifted, turning around slowly so that Anakin’s teasing fingers stayed inside him until his face was in the blond’s crotch. His lips parted and in a blink Anakin was deep down Ben’s moaning throat.

Anakin nearly collapsed when Ben’s mouth went around his cock. He groaned and composed himself before continuing to work his fingers into his soulmate. “Fuck, Ben...keep working your mouth like that…”

Ben hummed as if he was saying something, but his mouthful prevented the words from actually forming as he happily continued to suck and slide his lips along Anakin’s shaft.

Anakin finally had three fingers inside Ben, thrusting them and and curling them accordingly to get those delectable noises out of the redhead. He times the thrusts with the bobbing of Ben's head so they both experienced a similar rhythm at the same time. The blond had to admit that having Ben suck him off while being prepped was erotic in a whole new way that he hadn't considered before.

One of Ben’s hands slid up Anakin’s thigh before settling right below his hip as blue eyes looked up through lashes at the blond.

"God, you're fucking hot when you look up at me," Anakin said through a groan. He gave a few more thrusts from his fingers before pulling them out. "Get in a comfortable position."

Ben kept eye contact as he very _slowly_ pulled back until Anakin’s cock fell free of his lips, then he turned back around, laying on his side and placing one leg up on Anakin’s shoulder to allow easy access to his prepared and wanting hole.

Anakin grabbed the lube again and the remaining condom, putting the condom on before using some more lube on his own cock and Ben's entrance. Once he was satisfied that everything was ready, he lined himself up with Ben's hole and slowly pushed in.

“Yes!” Ben stretched his back the deeper Anakin went, is insides twitching around the intrusion. “I may be addicted to you...I miss it whenever you’re not in me like this…” he admitted breathilly.

"Not all addictions have to be bad." Anakin smirked as he seated himself fully in his soul mate.

“You just like knowing how much I love your cock making a mess of me.”

"You're not wrong." Pulling his cock almost all the way back out, Anakin let out a low groan, shivering at how tight Ben was.

Ben whimpered at Anakin’s pause, “Please make a mess of me…”

Anakin didn't need further permission to do as he pleased. He thrust back into Ben with another groan, and then he kept up the pace he had set, gripping the leg over his shoulder to keep Ben wide open for him.

The _usually_ beautifully formed words that often fell from Ben’s soft lips were quickly reduced to moans and garbled sounds of pleasure. His body that normally looked so proper in a suit or soft in a sweatervest turned lewd as he wriggled and shifted with Anakin’s thrusts into his heat.

If only their coworkers could see Ben like _this_. But then again, Anakin wouldn’t want to share such a sight with anyone else. Ben was his, and this pleasure-hungry side was for his eyes only.

The pace Anakin chose to start with didn't last long, switching to faster and deeper, as deep as he could go without immediately cumming. He closed his eyes and threw his head back, letting a louder moan fill the room, the man unashamed of who heard him or his soulmate.

“Anakin—Ani, I’m—!” Ben shivered, clenching around Anakin’s cock, “Close! I’m close!”

"Do it," Anakin almost growled, slamming his hips into Ben's. "Cum for me!"

“I—I—ah!” Ben shivered again, reaching down to stroke himself until he cried out with his limit.

Feeling Ben clench around him sent Anakin over the edge, the twinge in his belly that had slowly been increasing suddenly bursting out in the form of his orgasm. He clung to the redhead's leg with eyes closed and head rolling to the side with a long groan. "Oh fuck, Ben…"

“Fill me, Anakin!” Ben husked out, urging his lover to feel his own climax, even while he was feeling a tad overstimulated.

Anakin thrust his hips more, shaking as he did so, his body not yet over his own orgasm. He didn't stop until the both of them were done cumming and panting heavily to catch their breath. The blond moved Ben's leg so it was off his shoulder, and then he assisted Ben onto his back, keeping his cock inside his lover the whole time.

“Iloveyou…” Ben muttered as they settled down comfortably in the bed together, Anakin’s arms holding him close, “‘sgood.”

Anakin just hummed and buried his face in Ben's neck, his breathing finally calming down. It was a very pleased hum that was complemented by the blond wrapping his arms around Ben and holding him close.

* * *

To be continued...


	17. Chapter 17

Anna checked her horse one more time before returning to Obelia's side again, helping her wash dirty clothes in the creek. "If we ride for about five more hours today, I think that'll put us far enough away from the kingdom to consider us safe. But I could be wrong, and we might get caught tonight."

“Can our horses handle it? We’ve been going hard for a while, it’s not like a casual ride through the royal forest.” Obelia asked, looking up from the skirt she was wringing out.

"My horse likes to run. She's got enough energy, and your horse might as well, but they deserve a well earned rest."

“I’m sorry.” Obelia sighed, “I tried getting out without being seen, but they’re already on our trail. I thought we’d at least have a full night’s travel before I was even discovered missing..”

Anna set aside the tunic she had been washing and made Obelia look at her. "Hey, it's alright. We haven't been found yet, and we have strong horses that are willing to take us as far away from the kingdom as possible. Soon we won't have to worry about your family any more, and you and I can just focus on each other finally." She leaned forward and kissed her soulmate.

“I just feel bad—if we do get caught it’d be my fault because that guard spotted me. And if they do catch us, you know they’ll say you had kidnapped me. They’ll lock you up like a common criminal, and I’ll still be forced into a marriage with someone who is not you.”

"I'm not letting you marry anyone but me, Obi. If they manage to catch up to us, I'm fighting to the death to protect our future."

“I don’t want you to die, either! That’d be even worse...the hole it’d leave in my heart if you were killed...we know that happens...you felt it before in one of your past lives where I died, we had grown old then, of course, but you knew that pain…”

"Which is why I'm going to fight, because even just losing you to the family you're trying to escape hurts my heart thinking about it."

“If you think I can survive without you, then you underestimate how much I love you, Anna!”

Anna chuckled and tackled Obelia to the ground, kissing her softly. "Don't worry, I would never leave you willingly."

“I know you wouldn’t, and that is why I worry...you’ll keep fighting, and they may decide that you’re not worth locking up.” Obeliah ran her fingers through Anna’s short hair as she kissed her.

"I'm tougher than most other Knights," Anna said. "I was a girl pretending to be a guy after all."

“I know, and I feel smug about how well you convinced the other big smelly men that you were one of them.” Her hands moved to Anna’s arms as she smiled, “To think a female can have arms like this...I love them.”

"Had to keep my muscles to fit in. But I can keep them if you really like them."

“Oh please do! I love your built body and how I fit up against it and how your arms hold me. I’m not one to swoon, but you would make it very possible if I got to see you show them off.”

"In that case, I'll find ways to show off for you." Anna smirked and flexed her arms.

“Perfect.” Obeliah leaned in, pressing a kiss to Anna’s flexed bicep.

"Glad you think I'm perfect." Anna chuckled while she pulled her lover in close. 

“More than perfect—” She placed her hand gently over the back of Anna’s neck where her soulmark was, “—mine.”

The blonde hummed and leaned forward, resting her forehead on Obelia's shoulder. "I love you, Obi."

“I love you too, Anna.” Obelia sighed, “But we should finish cleaning out my muddy dress so we can get going again before dark. I can’t believe I slipped in the mud like that.”

"It's alright," Anna said as she turned back to the water. "Mud is a good look on you."

“Mud looks good on no one, especially all up my back.”

Anna shrugged. “We have different opinions on this, clearly. Mud is clearly very attractive, in the right situations of course.”

“I can’t see it. It’s wet and sloppy and gets everywhere.”

“Fair enough,” the blonde sighed with a smile. “Though you should have seen me when I wrestled the guys. On a muddy day, I’d be covered head to toe in mud.”

“Yet you didn’t want to go with me to the soft sandy beaches when visiting Spain a few summers past.”

“Have you seen how much sand is on those beaches? Mud is easy to clean up. Sand? It gets in all your clothes and is impossible to completely clean up!”

“Mud clings, sand brushes off.” Obelia argued.

“Mud you don’t find months after visiting the beach,” Anna argued back.

“I can’t believe you actually think sand is worse than mud.” Obelia sighed.

“It’s annoying! I can handle a bit of mud, but sand? In places where you can’t imagine how it got there? No thank you.” 

“Oh, I can imagine.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Okay, I think your dress is pretty clean, we should get going,” she said after a few more minutes of cleaning.

“Hopefully it’ll dry out before too long.” she nodded, gathering the wet clothes.

“If we let it dry while we ride, it’ll dry out quickly. Though you might get bugs and twigs on it instead of mud.”

“Better than mud.” she shrugged, slipping her skirt on over her chemise. They had rung out the water as best they could, but the fabric was still damp.

“Far better than mud,” Anna agreed, helping Obelia up onto her horse before getting on her own. “Now let’s hope the guards didn’t catch up much.”

“Or we managed to shake them at one of the forks in the road.”

“That would be even better.” Anna jumped up onto her horse and clicked her tongue to get it to move forward. “The further behind they are, the better chance we have at escaping.”

“I hope so.” Obeliah pulled herself up onto her own horse, sitting properly side-saddle like the lady of nobility she was raised to be, “Come on, Rosie, lets not let our girlfriends hurry on ahead of us.” she coaxed, patting the side of her horse’s neck to urge her forward.

 

* * *

* * *

 

Anakin woke up with a groan feeling like he had been sitting on a hard seat for far too long. It was an uncomfortable feeling, but he quickly forgot about his discomfort when he looked over at Ben sleeping beside him. Anakin yawned and curled up around the redhead, wrapping his arms around his soulmate.

“Mmm, Anna…” Ben snuggled into Anakin, his face nuzzling into his chest between his pecs, “...Your boobs get smaller?”

Anakin snorted. "Ben, we're not Anna and Obelia anymore."

“Ben..? Oh...right...me...sorry...still sleepy.” He sighed and rolled over to rub his eyes before stretching. Then he rolled back over to look up at Anakin, “Every time we have a dream like that I feel like more of my past selves have awakened in my soul. And Obeliah always makes me miss Anna’s boobs and muscle combo.”

"Well I can't help you with the boobs part, but I've got as much muscle as you want." Anakin smiled and kissed the to of Ben's head.

“That is true, and I do love every version of you I know of so far—including this one.”

"Good to know you've never stopped loving me. And I can say the same to you, because I love you a lot, and I hope you know that, and have known that in all our previous lives."

“Mm, yes but I always like to be reminded.” Ben kissed his lover before sitting up and checking the time. “Ah, but I have a meeting before work I need to head off to. I’ll have to meet you at work again and will have to skip out on stopping by your mom’s shop for my morning tea. Say good morning to her for me, okay?”

"You know I will." Anakin sat up with another yawn and stretched his arms upwards. "You got a meeting with a writer or something today?"

“Yeah, they wanted a quick breakfast meeting to go over some edit suggestions in person. Shouldn’t take too long. Plus I could use the opportunity to ask about the publishing process from the writer’s point of view, so I can have an idea of what to expect when I get my book ready for publishing.”

“Write down tips, because you wouldn’t want to forget anything.” Anakin yawned again and rubbed his face to wake up more.

“I’ll try to remember that.” Ben hummed, kissing Anakin’s forehead before pushing himself up and grabbing his pajama pants to wear while he rushed to the bathroom. Since their relationship had gotten physical, he found himself sleeping naked more and more, as nearly every night they were yanking pajamas off each other to get to skin. “I’ll see you at work, darling Ani.”

“Love you,” Anakin called out through another yawn, falling back on the bed to maybe get a little more rest at least. He’d be in trouble if he fell back asleep.

“I know.” Ben answered back in a loving tone. He quickly got ready for the day and called for a ride across town, leaving quickly and leaving his lover alone with a cat that was likely about ready to start pouncing on toes.

Forcing himself to get out of bed, Anakin stepped around Basil as she mewed at him and rubbed against his legs. He didn’t pay her much attention until he had gone to the bathroom, which she had insisted on joining him, and putting on his clothes for the day. Only then did he pick the cat up and scratch behind her ears as he took her into the kitchen. He filled up her bowl to let her eat before he started making his own breakfast. Cereal met his needs that morning, eating slowly as he watched Basil eat a few kibbles of her own food, and then he cleaned up his bowl and went to brush his teeth. It was just another normal day for Anakin, the same routine he followed every day he had to work. He stretched his wrists thinking about all the drawing he was needing to do that day.

Anakin had his bike to take to work that morning. He was sure Ben would want to ride back home with him, so he made sure to strap the redhead’s helmet on the back of the bike before he left, waving to Qui-Gon, who was working in the shop already, as he left. The normal commute was thankfully not eventful. Drivers were nice to him, respecting the space around his bike and indicating lane switches long before they actually made the switches. Anakin was glad for the respectfulness, because he had to admit he was still tired, his rear sore like he had been right there with Anna riding her horse.

When Anakin got to the building the company he worked for was in, he parked his bike and yawned yet again, shaking his head to wake up more. He had completely forgotten to stop by his mother’s cafe to grab his morning coffee, and he managed to text his mother as soon as he realized that after parking. At least there would be coffee in the break room he could grab before heading to his cubicle.

“Anakin.” A soft, familiar voice said, catching his attention. A voice from his past, and one he thought he’d never hear say his name again.

Blinking, Anakin turned his head towards the voice that spoke. He was silent as he stared, perhaps for too long, before he took off his helmet and looked and the petite woman before. He swallowed. It had been too long…

“Padmé…”

She folded her arms across her chest like she was hugging herself as she strolled forward, looking up at the tall man who had once been her boyfriend. “It’s...been a while...you look well.”

“Yeah...y-you look good too. Um…” Anakin got off his bike and set his helmet down on its seat. “How have you been?”

“Busy, mostly.” she bit her lip and looked him over again, “I was hoping we could catch up...maybe over lunch?”

“I… I’d have to check with my… my soulmate.”

“You found her, then?”

"Him, actually… turns out we work at the same place." Anakin moved to unstrap Ben's helmet from the bike. "If you want to come in real quick, we can talk with him…"

“If that’s alright.” she nodded.

"Yeah, come on." Anakin took his bike's key and pocketed it before grabbing the two helmets. He and Padmé made their way through the building until they got to the floor the company was on. If they had been any indication that Anakin was tired before, or was gone, because he was wide awake after seeing who he used to think was his soulmate again.

Getting to his cubicle, Anakin set down to helmets on the floor next to the window. "Hey, Ben."

“Anakin, I expected you’d beat me here this time. Spend too much time chatting with your mom?”

"No, I actually forgot to stop by her cafe." Anakin moved over to Ben and hugged him from behind, as best as he could around the chair, and gave the redhead a kiss on the cheek. "I brought someone in, actually…and I'd like you to meet her."

 “Her, hu? Well, that rules out you having picked up a yippy little Artoo before work.” Ben saved his progress and spun his seat around to face Anakin and the lovely young woman standing behind him, “Hello there.”

"Ben, this is Padmé. She was the one I thought was my soulmate before… Padmé, Ben, my actual soulmate."

"Hello," the woman greeted with a soft smile. "It's nice to meet you."

“It is a lovely surprise to meet you.” he greeted with a charming smile, standing up to give her a proper greeting.

"Well I'm glad to see you're not upset over meeting me." Padmé chuckled lightly. "I was going to ask Anakin if we could catch up over lunch, but he mentioned having to check with you first."

"I just wanted to check since we usually try to have lunch together," Anakin said.

“I’m fine with you making plans with friends, Anakin, I’m not a controlling boyfriend. As long as she doesn’t steal you away from the dinner date I’ve planned for tonight, I’m fine with her whisking you away for some food and catching up.”

"Sounds like I'm getting pampered tonight." Anakin smiled, leaning down to kiss Ben full on the lips, though not for long in case they got caught.

Ben hummed, “I figured we’d have an early dinner at a nice restaurant before we go pick up Artoo now that the adoption has been approved.” he nodded.

"A date and a dog. Tonight is going to be perfect." Anakin stole one more kiss before turning to look back at Padmé. "So I guess I'm free for lunch. Any place in particular you want to eat?"

“No—I just… I really need to talk with you is all.” she said, “What time is your lunch break?”

"Noon," Anakin replied with a bit of confusion in his voice. 

“Actual noon or noon plus an hour and a half like it always was when we were dating?”

"Actual noon," the blond said with a smile.

“Alright, then I’ll be back at noon. We’ll take my car, you know how I feel about that deathtrap you drive.”

“Oh it’s not so bad if you hug Anakin real tight.” Ben defended with a chuckle.

Anakin chuckled as he showed Padmé back to the elevator. Moments later he returned to the cubicle with a sigh, sitting down at his desk and starting his computer. "Write that down on a list of things I'd never thought would happen," he said as he turned in his chair to face Ben.

“No? She seems a lovely  person, nervous, though. I get the feeling this ‘catching up’ is more a plea for help.”

"You noticed that too. I hope she's not in danger in any way. I hope she's not having relationship issues…"

“I know you said your breakup hadn’t been pretty, but...be gentle and hear her out. _We_ will help her if we can, but right now she doesn’t know or trust me, so it’s best if I don’t tag along at noon. I’ll just order takeout to be delivered or something.”

"We get to have a good dinner tonight, so it makes up for not having lunch together today."

“Well, if all goes to plan, it’ll be a good dinner. I just hope we won’t have to cancel due to something unexpected.”

"I think we'll be fine. Unless my dad happens to show up."

“I’m not really worried.” Ben hummed, kissing Anakin’s cheek, “Now let's get to work before the boss catches us.”

“I would sure hate to lose my job because we got too lovey dovey.” Anakin chuckled, turning back to his computer to bring up the book cover he was working on.

“Same. We have a kitty and puppy to care for, after all.” Ben hummed.

Anakin giggled in excitement as he remembered he was going to be able to pick up Artoo from the shelter and take him home that day. He had been waiting patiently for the shelter to call him back to tell him he passed the background check, and when he had gotten the call, he had done a little happy dance around his and his mother’s house with the biggest smile on his face.

 

* * *

 

Before he knew it, noon came around and allowed him to go on his lunch break. He had to admit he was just a bit nervous, wondering why Padmé had wanted to talk to him, but he tried not to worry too  much. 

Before he left, Anakin stole a quick kiss from his soulmate, and then he left the building, searching for Padmé’s car.

Padmé was parked out front in the temporary parking along the curve, used only for quick drop offs, pickups, and package deliveries.She glanced over her sunglasses as he approached and she offered a smile before leaning over to pop open the door for him.

Anakin slid in with a smile. He buckled up before Padmé started driving away. “Do you wanna talk now or later when we have food?”

“Later. I’d rather not get distracted while driving.” she said, easing into traffic.

“Alright. I just wanted to check…” Anakin looked out the window as buildings passed, wondering if his ex girlfriend was okay or not. He would have hated to learn she was in a bad relationship after they had split ways.

Padmé drove them out of the district and pulled into a parking spot along the street of the downtown area, outside a casual dining place they had gone to many times when they were dating. “I figured a familiar place would make choosing our lunch orders faser.” she said, turning off the car, dropping the keys in her purse and removing her sunglasses.

“You’d be right. Plus, going over old memories…” Anakin sighed as he got out of the car, falling into step beside Padmé and bumping her shoulder gently, showing that he was willing to try being friends if the situation called for it.

She gave him a small smile before getting out of the car. “Come on, I called ahead to make sure there was an open table. We don’t want to dawdle and lose it.”

The two made it to their table before it was taken by someone else, and their orders were taken fairly quickly as well, leaving the two alone for some conversation before their lunches arrived. Anakin  tapped on the table briefly before looking at his ex. “So what’s going on? Everything going okay in life?”

She nodded, but lowered her voice, “No...no, I need help, Ani.” she admitted, a slight tremble in her tone.

Anakin reached to grab her hands, running his thumbs over them gently. “Padmé, what’s wrong?”

“Keep your voice low—he may have people watching. Just pretend like we’re happy and getting along, okay?” She took a deep breath and forced a pretty smile on her face.

Her next words wee a touch louder before dropping back down, “I’ve missed you terribly, Ani. ...I—I know you found your soulmate but—I have found mine, too. We haven’t activated the bond yet but…”

Confused but putting on a smile, Anakin played along. "But what? You shouldn't waste time to activate the bond."

“We wanted to wait until the right moment. We have a special one in mind, actually.” her smile turned genuine a moment before dulling again, “But something terrible has happened, Ani...and before I continue I need you to promise to keep your temper in check and hidden by a fake happiness.”

Anakin nodded, keeping his smile plastered on his face while his heart raced in his chest. "Of course."

“Good.” she paused, gathering her thoughts as she ran her fingertips over the back of Anakin’s hands in a show of affection, “I didn’t know why exactly, but knowing about your soulmate now, I suspect it has to do with him, but…” she paused and let out a little flirty laugh before continuing, “Your father came to me a few days ago and threatened my job at the law firm in order to get me to seduce you. I refused to be blackmailed like that so he—he took _my_ soul mate hostage.” she choked.

Anakin's eyes widened, his blood boiling suddenly. "Oh my god…have you done anything yet?"

“I’m here on a ‘date’ with you right now, aren’t I? I can’t go to the police. We both know he has them under his thumb. I don’t know what to do—I don’t know—I just...I need her back…”

"When was the last time you saw her? It was recently, right?'

“A day ago...I left to go to work and she was just rolling out of bed to get ready—she’s a dog groomer, works with puppies and dogs all day. She's so soft and caring, but she—she never made it to work.”

"We have to do something. Like file a missing person report or something. I'm not letting something like this go unnoticed." Anakin's voice trembled a little with anger, and he was holding back quite a bit.

“I have—before your father contacted me with his conditions of her being—treated well…”

"We can't let him win this, Padmé.  He's gone too far this time!"

“That’s why I’m here pretending to seduce you while telling you the truth. Why I’m asking for help. I can’t do this alone, Ani.” she gripped his hand tighter.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get this figured out. If you still have the same number, I can call you and let you know when you can come over, and we can talk with my mom and Ben. He knows how bad things are with you know who.” Anakin raised up Padmé’s hands to his lips and kissed them, keeping his eyes up at her.

“I have a new number, give me your phone and I’ll put it in.” She offered.

Anakin nodded as he pulled out his phone, handing it over to his ex. "My number is the same, so don't hesitate to call me."

She put her contact information into his phone before handing it back with a smile, “I won’t hesitate to call.” she promised a little louder, just as their food was brought out to them.

Anakin smiled back, then he decided to change to a happier subject so their lunch wasn't a doom and gloom. "So Ben and I figured out that our souls have meet each other before in previous lives."

“What? How have you figured that out?”

"We looked it up after we went camping one weekend and woke up with our soulmarks a completely different shape and with more colours." The blond held out his hand for Padmé to see.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing...but it really is changed...it used to look very similar to mine.” she said, touching the mark on his hand gently.

"Yeah, when Ben researched it there was only one article about it online, and it was written like it was just an old wives tale. Since then we've had dreams about our past lives, and they're pretty vivid too. Almost like it's actually us living through them."

“Interesting. You two must have a very rare connection to have found each other more than just this once.”

"I guess so. We've had lots of dreams so far, sometimes different dreams with the same versions of our souls."

“Interesting.” she repeated, a considering look on her face, “I wonder if Sabé and I are so lucky…”

"You might be. You'd have to get physical to find out."

“You’ve gotten that far with your Ben, hu?”

"Yeah, I swear it gets better every time." Anakin smiled fondly. "We always have a dream the nights we get intimate with each other."

“So who were you in a past life? Anyone interesting?”

"I was a female knight who had to dress like a man to stay safe, and Ben was a noble woman. Most beautiful woman I've ever seen to be honest."

“If he wasn’t your soul mate, I’d take offence to that.” Padmé laughed lightly.

"Just speaking the truth," Anakin chuckled. 

“So, were you always the same sex?” she questioned, sipping her drink.

"No, we've been different genders before. In another life Ben was transgender."

“Oh, I hope he--she?--was treated well in that lifetime. The past hasn’t exactly been kind to people born in the wrong bodies.”

"Yeah, even today they're still struggling with getting the respect they deserve. My dad clearly still doesn't like that Ben is my soulmate."

“He’s always been against what makes individuals happy. Soul mates, being true to oneself...the man only cares about money.”

“Another reason why he needs to be stopped.” Anakin sighed and sat back, grabbing a napkin to wipe off  his face.

“He still trying to force you to join him on the dark side? Making you give up art for training to be the next owner and CEO?”

“I’m actually legally his successor now… but I signed those papers as a promise he’d leave me and my mom alone. So far that’s been true, but he’s still raising hell for me.” Anakin shook his head. “He always finds loopholes, doesn’t he?”

“He’s probably mad since you’re on a relationship with another man, therefore you won’t be able to have biological children. I think...he’s trying to get me to get you to knock me up or something…”

“I would never do that to you. Even if we didn’t have the best break up and didn’t see each other for years, I would never knock you up, out of respect for you.”

“I was prepared to do what I had to to get Sabé back, but then I found out about Ben, and I—I couldn’t ask you to do that to him…”

“If there was any way possible to have a biological kid with Ben… I know I’d want one in a heartbeat, but a kid shouldn’t come into the world just for the sake of continuing a family line or business. They should be greeted with love and parents who wanted them and wanted to love them.”

“It doesn’t matter now. It’s not happening at all. If you had been single, still, then maybe but…” she shook her head.

Anakin made a noise of agreement. “Yeah, neither of us are single now… Anyways, I promise we’ll get Sabé back, no matter what. The cops will have to see just what my dad is doing and they’ll have no choice but to arrest him and put him on trial. No one is above the law. Ever.”

“We’ll see...if he doesn’t pay his way out of trouble…”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t. There’s only so many times he can evade going to jail.”

She nodded, and they finished their meal, paid their bills, and moved back to her car so she could return him to work. 

“Thank you for understanding and being willing to help me, Ani.” she said after pulling up along the curb to drop Anakin off again.

“Of course. I know we didn’t leave on good terms, but I knew you were in trouble the moment I saw you again today… I couldn’t just stand by and let a friend suffer because of my father.”

“Thank you.” she leaned over and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek, “I’ll contact you again.”

"Be safe." Anakin got out of the car and waved before going back into the building.

* * *

To be continued...


End file.
